The University of Delaware rolled back some restrictions put in place two weeks ago to deal with a spike in COVID-cases among students.
The size limit on campus events returned to 50 people Friday and occupancy at student centers and the Carpenter Sports Building went back to the levels in place at the start of the semester. Fans are allowed in Delaware Stadium for this weekend’s football game for the first time since the start of the pandemic. Meanwhile, dining halls remain grab-and-go only.
More UD students tested positive for the coronavirus in recent weeks than at any point in the fall. But fewer than one hundred tested positive this week, down from a total of more than 600 in the two weeks prior.
The school sees this as a good sign, says spokesperson Andrea Boyle Tippett.
“We are feeling that the students got the message, they responded, and therefore we are able to bring things back to a more state of normalcy,” she said.
But Tippett says the restrictions could return if cases rise.
Officials are reminding students of the City of Newark’s gathering limit of 10 people indoors and 50 people outdoors ahead of St. Patrick’s Day next week. They say City and University police will increase patrols and enforcement over the next two weekends.
