More than 100 Mercer students test positive for COVID as in-person classes resume

Mercer University announced 103 students tested positive for COVID-19 between July 20-Aug. 19.

The university required all residential undergraduate students, some 3,400 students, to receive a test before they began classes, as well as hundreds more who completed screening surveys that indicated they were potentially infected. In total, 4,229 students from all Mercer campuses were tested. In-person instruction began on Aug. 18.

Out of the 263 faculty and staff members who were tested for the coronavirus, 15 returned positive test results. None of the students or employees who tested positive have been hospitalized, as far as Mercer is aware. University president Bill Underwood released a statement Friday as well, encouraging students to take precautions to avoid contracting COVID-19 as some returned home for the weekend.

“This weekend some of you will return to your homes and may visit with friends from outside Mercer,” Underwood wrote. “Please be especially vigilant to take the same precautions to protect your health while away from campus. Likewise, I know that others of you will be celebrating your return to school and completion of your first week of classes.

“Our collective success in ensuring a healthy environment to work, study and play depends on us being responsible during these times of celebration to continue following health guidelines, which I am confident we will be able to accomplish.”

Of those 103 positive student cases, 35 tested positive before students returned to campus, including 29 student-athletes. The university had administered 316 tests July 31-Aug. 3.

“The 35 positive students are being cared for and will remain in isolation until being cleared by Mercer Medicine,” a university news release said. “Mercer will continue to execute and adapt its plan for mitigating the spread of coronavirus on its campuses in consultation with infectious disease experts in its School of Medicine and in accordance with federal, state and local public health guidelines.”

This story was originally published August 21, 2020 at 5:10 PM.