Kenneth NiemeyerThe university reported a total of 51 active COVID-19 cases among students and staff on Thursday, according to the university’s coronavirus dashboard, an increase of 15 from the day before. There were 32 active cases on Tuesday and 36 on Wednesday. There are no active cases among faculty, but 12 of the active cases are among staff.
Over the past week, the university’s total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases has increased by 4.7%.
There is one outbreak in an on-campus group, meaning three or more members of the group are actively infected. The university has not specified which campus group is involved in the outbreak, but the dashboard lists no outbreaks in on-campus housing or on-campus buildings. One student is in university-provided quarantine housing, and another is in isolation on campus.
The increase in university cases follows an outdoor mask mandate passed by the Oxford Board of Aldermen on Monday.
The Aldermen voted to approve the mandate after Mayor Robyn Tannehill noted on Twitter that she had received several calls regarding photos of large mask-less crowds outside of bars on the Square. The photos began circulating on social media last week.
As of Monday, Jan. 26, there have been a total of 5,269 positive COVID-19 cases and 101 deaths due to the virus in Lafayette County, according to the Mississippi State Department of Health. There are 394 active cases in Lafayette County, 40 of which were reported on Monday.
