UW faculty worried about fall semester as virus surges

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — University of Wisconsin-Madison instructors are growing more worried that the campus can’t reopen safely this fall as the coronavirus continues to surge among young people.

The university plans to reopen as scheduled but classes with more than 100 students will be held online only and all in-person instruction will stop at Thanksgiving to prevent students from bringing the virus back to campus following the break.

The Wisconsin State Journal reports that UW-Madison’s chapter of the Association of American University Professors released a survey Thursday that found nearly half of respondents weren’t confident campus can re-open safely. Almost 60% said all instruction should be offered online only.

As of Saturday, the state Department of Health Services had confirmed 31,055 cases of COVID-19 in Wisconsin since the pandemic reached the state in March, an increase of 738 cases from Friday. The death toll stood at 796 as of Saturday, unchanged from Friday. The percentage of positive tests on Saturday was 10.8%, by far the highest percentage of any of the last 14 days.

The actual number of infections is thought to be far higher than the state’s totals because many people have not been tested and studies suggest people can be infected without feeling sick.