For the second weekend in a row, large numbers of San Diego State University students appeared to be shrugging off the school’s demand that they wear masks and practice social distancing to fight the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The Union-Tribune observed about 200 students, mostly in groups, walking without masks on campus and in adjacent neighborhoods between 11:30 p.m. Friday and 2 a.m. Saturday. There was little social distancing.
The observations were made only hours after SDSU announced that seven students tested positive this week for COVID-19.
In many instances, the mask-less students were seen walking in groups of four to 10 people. Shortly before 1 a.m. Saturday, at least 10 entered Paseo Place, an off-campus student housing complex located about two blocks from SDSU’s Student Health Center. Other mask-less students were leaning from one of the building’s balconies.
An additional 30 to 35 mask-less students were seen at a crowded off-campus house party on Pontiac Street. There also were parties and gatherings along Rockford Drive, Mary Lane Drive, Dorothy Drive and 63rd street, where students stood inside or in the street without wearing masks.
During the 2.5-hour period, dozens of mask-less students also were observed clustered outside Trujillo’s, a popular taco shop on College Avenue, across the street from SDSU’s South Campus Plaza dorm. Other groups of students walked without masks along Montezuma Road, Campanile Drive and 55th Place.
The crowds of mask-less students were larger than they were a week earlier, when SDSU students were preparing for the first week of the fall semester.
About 2,600 students are currently living in SDSU housing, all of whom were required to sign a document saying that they would wear masks and practice social distancing. The school limited the dorm population to about one-third of normal to give students more space.
The university also pressed the need for wearing masks and social distancing in communications sent to the larger student body, including those living in housing adjacent to campus.
SDSU is trying to avoid the sort of COVID-19 outbreaks that have occurred among students in recent weeks at universities across the country, including the University of Southern California.
On Friday, SDSU issued a statement that said, “From August 11, when SDSU began administering tests, to August 27 at 5:00 p.m SDSU’s Student Health Services (SHS) has administered 171 COVID-19 tests. Of the 171, we have had 7 positive tests.
“Of those 7 positive cases, none have lived on-campus, and none have been to campus other than to the outdoor testing kiosk at SHS. We are pleased that students continue to seek voluntary testing all throughout this week as advised.”
But the advisory also said that, “Two of the students (who confirmed positive on Friday) are connected to one of the student cases confirmed yesterday, Aug. 27. The other case, the third case, is related to one of the cases confirmed on Aug. 26.
“Students sought testing, as instructed, as a result of contact-tracing efforts. It is important to clarify that the three cases, together, are not all connected. Further, due to their connection to previously reported positive cases, all of these individuals were already quarantining in compliance with public health guidelines.”
A campus spokeswoman said on Friday night that no SDSU authorities would be available throughout the weekend to answer questions from the Union-Tribune about the matter.
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August 30, 2020 at 12:32AM
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San Diego State University students gather without masks as COVID-19 infections rise - The San Diego Union-Tribune
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