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Syracuse University will reopen campus fitness centers and allow some in-person activities to resume Friday, lifting restrictions it imposed in response to a coronavirus cluster among students.

In-person student activities sponsored by the university, as well as those hosted by student organizations, can resume if attendance is limited to 25 people or fewer, said Mike Haynie, vice chancellor for strategic initiatives and innovation, in an SU News release Thursday. The Barnes Center at The Arch and SU’s satellite indoor and outdoor recreation facilities will also reopen Friday, he said. 

Gatherings off campus are still limited to five students or fewer, Haynie said. 

The university closed gyms and reduced the maximum gathering size from 25 people to five or fewer on Oct. 6 after identifying a cluster of COVID-19 cases associated with at least one off-campus party. Though there are 87 active cases of the virus among students, faculty and staff, SU hasn’t found any evidence that infections related to the cluster spread to students living in on-campus housing or to faculty and staff, Haynie said. 

“We are cautiously optimistic that we have undercut the potential for significant additional exposures within our campus community,” Haynie said. 

Haynie said 79% of all COVID-19 cases at SU this semester are directly tied to off-campus housing and gatherings. In the past 10 days, 98% of all new infections have been directly tied to off-campus activities, he said. 

SU hasn’t identified any cases of COVID-19 that resulted from exposure to the virus in a classroom or at the Barnes Center this semester, he said. 

“It is clear that with respect to off-campus gatherings, we have a challenge and we must do better,” Haynie said. 

The university will continue to refer students who are leaseholders or occupants of off-campus housing where more than five students gather to the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities, Haynie said. 

Published on October 15, 2020 at 3:20 pm

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