Vermont college links Halloween parties to COVID-19 outbreak

A Vermont college has temporarily canceled student gatherings and in-person classes after linking Halloween parties to a COVID-19 outbreak on campus.

St. Michael’s College in Colchester has reported 77 positive cases in the past two weeks, after experiencing only a handful of cases previously in the semester, according to its COVID-19 dashboard. 

“We were doing really well as a community up to the point where there were numerous Halloween parties where students were unmasked and in close contact,” Lorraine Sterritt, the college’s president, said in a statement Sunday.

The outbreak at St. Michael’s comes as Vermont deals with its highest case numbers since the start of the pandemic. Vermont reported almost 500 new cases on Nov. 4, prompting the governor to warn of a potential strain on hospitals. 

St. Michael’s has canceled student gatherings until after Thanksgiving, while guests are also no longer allowed on campus.

Classes were moved online after the outbreak, with in-person classes resuming Monday. However, professors are allowed to continue online classes until Thanksgiving if they want.

Students have been asked to not leave campus unless for work, and a testing center has been set up at the school. 

Sterritt told students there will be “severe sanctions” for those who violate the school’s coronavirus guidelines. 

“We are deeply saddened that the investigation of the genesis of this increase in positive cases points to Halloween parties as being a significant part of the problem. I call on all members of our community to act responsibly in order to protect the entire community,” she said.