Tulane enacts ‘Safer-at-home restrictions’ amid rising COVID-19 cases

Tulane University “strongly encourages students” to limit themselves to essential activities only for the next two weeks, the university announced on Friday. Students have been told to “limit themselves to their residence halls and off-campus residences” when they’re not in class, getting food or participating in other essential activities. Whether they live on or off campus, students are not permitted to host anyone outside of their immediate household.

Tulane’s tightened restrictions are a response to “an increase in positive COVID-19 tests results among undergraduate students,” said Michael Strecker, executive director of public relations for Tulane, but “nearly all of these cases are asymptomatic and were detected through our aggressive surveillance program.”

The university will also suspend all intramural sports and bar fans from sporting events “until further notice” and require all in-person student programs and events to be cancelled or rescheduled. Undergraduate students will be required to get tested for COVID-19 three times a week.

Tulane announced tighter restrictions after a viral photo of a seemingly college-aged crowd without masks partied at The Monkey Hill Bar. “Large groups of unmasked students congregating in local bars and off-campus parties are the most obvious source of these [COVID-19] cases,” Erica Woodley, dean of students and assistant vice president of student affairs, said in an email sent out to the Tulane community last week, according to the Tulane Hullabaloo.

“Students who host parties will still face suspension or expulsion and … students who attend parties or gatherings that fall outside of what is permitted will also face suspension,” Woodley said. “Students who attend bars/restaurants that are not following the COVID regulations will also face disciplinary action — which may include suspension.”

Tulane has also issued 18 interim suspensions against students who violated COVID-19 related policies. “Each of these students is going or will go through our conduct process and is facing possible suspension or expulsion from the university,” Strecker said.

Six Greek life organizations were also placed on interim suspension for violating COVID-19 related policies. Four of them — Alpha Epsilon Phi (AEPhi), Kappa Alpha Theta (Theta), Zeta Psi and Sigma Chi (Sig Chi) — have gone through the conduct process and resolved their cases, which lifted their interim suspensions, but the other two — Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) and Kappa Kappa Gamma (KKG) — are still on interim suspension.