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Thursday, March 28, 2024

On-campus whistleblowers fight COVID-19 spread

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On-campus whistleblowers fight COVID-19 spread
On-campus whistleblowers fight COVID-19 spread

[NFA] As many U.S. colleges have continued in-person classes amid the pandemic, some students are blowing the whistle on peers who aren't following rules put in place to stem the spread of the coronavirus.

This report produced by Jillian Kitchener.

With many university students back to school, socializing on and off-campus has created divisions among peers.

There are those following health guidelines… and those who are not.

Recent body cam video from the Oxford Police Department captured a group of students from the University of Miami in Ohio, according to CBS News, hanging out at a house where one of the hosts admitted he and his housemates had the coronavirus.

“How many people are in the house?" "Like ten of them just came by but they’re leaving.

They're going somewhere else... so, 20." "Twenty people inside?

Ya you might want to start clearing them out man." (Flash) “I’ve never seen this before.

There’s an input on the computer that you tested positive for Covid.” “Yes.”(Flash) “How many other people have Covid?” “They all do.” “Everybody has it?” (nods) Six men were fined by police.

The University of Miami is paying student health ambassadors - like Austin Pert - to enforce rules like mask wearing and social distancing on campus.

But he says, there’s only so much he can do… “The party/social scene especially here in Miami is an off-campus thing.

Especially this year.

So if people want to flout the rules and put social distancing aside for the night to go party, it’s not happening on campus in the middle of the day.

It’s happening at a house or an apartment complex, off campus.

At night” At the University of Missouri, an anonymous student is posting photos and videos on the ‘University of Misery' Twitter account - exposing some students who gather in large groups especially without wearing masks.

The student who claims to run the Twitter account tells Reuters controlling the coronavirus on campus is a huge problem.

To protect their identity, Reuters altered the student's voice.

“I think it’s a lot worse than is being shown.

We don’t have mandatory testing or anything of the sort.

So I think a lot of people are sick than are reporting it to the university.” A University spokesman said students are complying with the new rules on campus.

However - Columbia, where the school is located, saw a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases during the month of August and early September, according to the city's website.

For the students who don't comply with the rules - the consequences vary depending on the school - some are suspended, others expelled.

Critics say having in-person learning during a pandemic was a mistake to begin with.... But in order to prove them wrong and keep people safe, many students are doing the once improbable - telling on their classmates – hoping that will make a difference.

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