From the dorms at North Carolina to the halls of Notre Dame, officials at universities around the U.S. scrambled on Monday to deal with new COVID-19 clusters at the start of the fall semester, some of them linked to off-campus parties and packed clubs.
North Carolina's flagship university suspended in-person classes for undergraduates just a week into the fall semester. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill said it will switch to remote learning on Wednesday and make arrangements for students who want to leave campus housing.
UNC said the clusters were discovered in dorms, a fraternity house and other student housing.
The University of Notre Dame reported 58 confirmed cases since students returned to the South Bend, Indiana, campus in early August. At least two off-campus parties over a week ago have been identified as sources, school officials said.
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Outbreaks earlier this summer at fraternities in Washington state, California and Mississippi provided a glimpse of the challenges school officials face in keeping the virus from spreading on campuses where young people eat, live, study — and party — in close quarters.
The virus has been blamed for over 170,000 deaths and 5.4 million confirmed infections in the U.S.
In other developments:
- President Donald Trump’s plan to offer a stripped-down boost in unemployment benefits to millions of Americans amid the coronavirus outbreak has found little traction among the states, which would have to pay a quarter of the cost to deliver the maximum benefit.
- As states around the country require visitors from areas with high rates of coronavirus infections to quarantine upon arrival, children taking end-of-summer vacations to hot spots are facing the possibility of being forced to skip the start of in-person learning at their schools.
- A state agency says it is working to fix a data error on Iowa’s coronavirus website that lowers the number of new confirmed cases and therefore downplays the severity of the current outbreak, just as schools are deciding whether to reopen.
- Frustrated by scenes of crowded entertainment districts and bars on the first weekend many students returned to the University of Alabama, officials on Monday looked for ways to improve safety during the coronavirus pandemic and hopefully save college football this year.
- The NCAA will likely decide next month whether to start the college basketball season on time or have a delay due to the coronavirus pandemic. The NCAA has developed and studied contingency plans in case the season cannot be started on Nov. 10.
- Wimbledon champion Simona Halep will skip the U.S. Open, saying Monday she is putting her health first and prefers to stay in Europe during the coronavirus pandemic. The U.S. Open is scheduled to start at Flushing Meadows on Aug. 31.
- The Canadian Football League canceled its 2020 season Monday because of the pandemic, marking the first year since 1919 the Grey Cup won’t be awarded.
- For four nurses in a Southern California hospital, the scariest place isn't the ward where they care for coronavirus patients. It’s home: where their kids play and their spouses sleep.
For more summaries and full reports, please select from the articles below. Scroll further for a roundup of key virus questions.
COVID-19 questions answered
Virus briefing: Can you get coronavirus twice? Your COVID-19 questions answered
Can you get the coronavirus twice?
FILE - This 2020 electron microscope made available by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention image shows the spherical coronavir…
Health experts think people who had COVID-19 will have some immunity against a repeat infection. But they don't know how much protection or how long it would last.
There have been reports of people testing positive for the virus weeks after they were believed to have recovered, leading some to think they may have been reinfected. More likely, experts say people were suffering from the same illness or the tests detected remnants of the original infection. There's also the chance tests could have been false positives.
Scientists say there has been no documented instance of a patient spreading the virus to others after retesting positive.
With similar viruses, studies have shown that people could fall sick again three months to a year after their first infections. It's still too early to know whether that's also possible with the coronavirus.
"It's very much emerging science," said Dr. Philip Landrigan, director of the global public health program at Boston College.
A small U.S. study published last week also found the antibodies that fight the coronavirus may only last a few months in people with mild illness, suggesting people could become susceptible again. But antibodies aren't the only defense against a virus, and the other parts of the immune system could also help provide protection.
Settling the question of whether reinfection is possible is important. If it can occur, that could undermine the idea of "immunity passports" for returning back to workplaces. And it would not bode well for hopes of getting a long-lasting vaccine.
Why are coins hard to find during the pandemic?
The Federal Reserve has seen a significant decline of coins in circulation because people are not spending them as regularly at businesses, many of which are either temporarily closed or not accepting cash.
Coins are still plentiful. In April, the U.S. Treasury estimated more than $47.8 billion were in the market, up by more than a billion dollars compared to last year.
But in recent months, people have not been spending those coins at places like laundromats, banks, restaurants, or shops because the businesses are closed, or people are not visiting them as often as they were before the pandemic.
"The typical places where coin enters our society have slowed or even stopped the normal circulation of coin," said the Federal Reserve, which manages coin inventory, in a June statement.
Sales at restaurants, bars and gas stations dropped more than 40% in April compared with a year ago. Sales have since picked up, but some businesses — like bars — remain shuttered in certain states, while others can only operate at a limited capacity.
The Federal Reserve has encouraged banks to order only the coins they need and to make depositing coins easy for customers. One Wisconsin bank system offered its customers a $5 bonus for every $100 in coins they brought into exchange at a branch.
The program was so successful, the bank suspended it after only a week.
Is it safe to go to the gym during the coronavirus pandemic?
It depends on where you live and the precautions you and the gym take.
If cases of COVID-19 are poorly controlled where you live, experts say it's best to stay away. But if you live in an area where the spread is being contained, there are ways to minimize risk when going for a workout.
To ensure everyone stays at least 6 feet apart, gyms should take steps such as moving machines, blocking off areas and limiting the number of people allowed inside, says Dr. Marybeth Sexton, an assistant professor of infectious diseases at Emory University.
Avoiding the locker room, bringing your own water bottle and using hand sanitizer also helps reduce risk, Sexton says.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also suggests checking in online, rather than in person, and seeking activities that are outdoors instead of indoors when possible.
Gym staff should be cleaning exercise machines between uses and regularly wiping down other frequently touched areas with products that kill viruses.
And experts say face coverings should be worn at the gym whenever possible.
Sexton also suggests bringing a backup mask. If the one you're wearing gets really damp with sweat, she says it might not be as effective.
Even for those being careful, gyms pose a risk. Many are indoors, where ventilation is limited and social distancing can be challenging. In an ongoing pandemic, if you can manage to break a sweat without returning to the gym just yet, that's the best option, according to Sexton.
"If you can exercise by yourself outside, that's safer than being at the gym," she said.
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The AP is answering your questions about the coronavirus in this series. Submit them at: FactCheck@AP.org.
