Emerson College is cancelling all in-person activities for at least the next week after a spike in COVID-19 cases on campus.
In-person classes will continue, but all gatherings, including athletics, are prohibited until at least April 14.
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According to the school's COVID-19 dashboard, 26 people tested positive for coronavirus last week. Twenty-four people are currently in isolation and 38 are in quarantine. They are some of the highest numbers the school has seen in the last two semesters.
During this time, students are only supposed to leave their dorms for essential activities such as attending classes and picking up food. The fitness center will remain closed and the dining hall will only be serving takeout meals.
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"I think it's kind of ridiculous that the entire student body has to suffer because of the mistakes of a few, but it is for public safety," student Reilly LeConte said.
Dr. David Rosman, the president of the Massachusetts Medical Society, said he is not surprised to see the spike, especially with cases rising among young people across the state.
"It's not because people are necessarily doing the wrong thing. It's because it's a non-vaccinated crowd and we're not through this yet," Rosman said.
Rosman added that it is critical for schools to figure out how to stay open during this time even if it means being more restrictive.
"Everyone just needs to hang in there a little bit longer," he said.
Emerson students just hope cases go down before school is out.
"It's the end of college. We're going home in like three weeks anyway and now we have to lock ourselves up," student Nathan Phaenephom said.
"I think if cases are high, they should do a full lockdown and keep everything online," senior Adam Barlyn said.
