San Diego State confirmed an additional 120 COVID-19 cases on Sept. 4 following the announcement of a declared outbreak within the community’s undergraduate population.
The 120 newly confirmed cases are among students living both on and off-campus. In total there have been 184 COVID-19 cases within the student population since Aug. 24, according to the university-wide email.
The new cases do not represent a single outbreak, but rather 14 individual clusters, according to the email.
“Additionally, as of 10 a.m. today, Sept. 4, the HHSA has confirmed they are currently investigating multiple clusters of COVID-19 outbreaks within the university community, specifically among students, to date,” the email said. “This includes the previously announced off-campus outbreak on Wednesday, Sept. 2.”
There have been no reports of COVID-19 cases among faculty, staff, visitors, or vendors at SDSU since the start of the 2020 semester.
The new cases also coincide with an escalation of the university’s enforcement of COVID-19 policies, just before the start of Labor Day weekend.
More than 457 COVID-19 policy violations have been issued, and the email reminds students that consequences for such violations include suspension and expulsion. Several of these violations are already in adjudication, Dr. J. Luke Wood, associate vice president of student affairs and campus diversity said at a press conference Friday.
The university is also ramping up patrols of campus and nearby neighborhoods. Elite Security will now be patrolling on weekdays as well as weekends, reporting any policy violations to university officials.
“In addition to pausing in-person instruction, the university continues to actively identify individuals and groups not in compliance with established policies and guidelines,” the email said.
Late last night, around 9 p.m. several text alerts and an email were sent to students urging them to follow guidelines and get tested “ASAP” if they came into contact with someone that was ill or tested positive for COVID-19.
Students are encouraged to stay in their living units this weekend to further prevent the spread of COVID-19. Students who have attended large gatherings or have been in contact with someone who has tested positive are encouraged to get tested.
“It’s going to take a village for us to get a handle on this,” SDSU President Adela de la Torres said at a press conference on Friday. “We understand that this is going to require us to work together.”
Testing Information
Testing options have been expanded for SDSU students.
“Earlier this week, the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) expanded testing for SDSU students at the County of San Diego-operated, drive-up coronavirus testing site, located in parking lot 17B at 6200 Alvarado Road,” the email said. “HHSA is offering 400 tests per day at the drive-up location through Saturday as part of its increased testing efforts.”
The next nearest free testing facility for SDSU students is the San Diego Tubman-Chavez Community Center. The center is located at 415 Euclid Ave.
On Sept. 8 San Diego County’s parking lot 17B will also become a free walk-up testing facility. More information is available on the county’s testing website.
Testing is also available at Student Health Services. To schedule an appointment, students can call Student Health Services at 619-594-4325. Online appointments can also be scheduled through HealtheConnect, SDSU’s secure online health portal.
Editor in Chief, Brenden Tuccinardi, contributed reporting.
