121 University of Washington students test positive for coronavirus

More than 100 students remaining on campus or in nearby off-campus housing at the University of Washington have tested positive for coronavirus, the university said Sunday.

CNN reported that 121 students in total have confirmed cases of the virus. Most live off campus in nearby fraternity or sorority houses located on Greek Row, north of the main campus, according to school officials.

Cases of the virus among students come despite the school’s decisions earlier this year to move all spring and summer semester classes to remote Zoom classrooms. School officials have yet to make a decision about returning to on-campus learning for fall classes, according to the university’s website.

Others living on-campus currently are believed to have contracted the virus from close contact with residents of Greek Row, according to the university.

Washington state emerged as one of the early hotspots for coronavirus in the U.S., and in recent weeks has seen its rate of new infections begin rising once again after dropping in May.

The state’s governor, Jay Inslee (D), moved to pause his plans to ease restrictions put in place to stop the virus’s spread, calling the rise in cases an “evolving situation.”

“Phase 4 would mean a return to normal activity and we can’t do that now due to the continued rise in cases across the state,” Inslee said. “We all want to get back to doing all the things we love in Washington during the summer, and fully open our economy, but we aren’t there yet. This is an evolving situation and we will continue to make decisions based on the data.”