Notre Dame orders COVID test after football celebration



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INDIANAPOLIS – Notre Dame has implemented mandatory coronavirus testing for students and strict penalties for those who do not comply after students rushed to the school football field to celebrate a double surprise due to from Clemson and organized many evenings on weekends.

A crowded mass of students, players and coaches were on the pitch within minutes of the Fighting Irish 47-40 victory on Saturday night in South Bend, Indiana, then-No. 1 Clemson. Many of the thousands of people who stormed the field were not wearing masks or had their masks shot down.

Now all Notre Dame students must undergo coronavirus tests before leaving South Bend for the long winter break, school president Reverend John Jenkins said on Sunday evening. The email announcement did not specifically refer to the assault on the ground but rather to “many rallies” over the weekend.

Students exposed to the coronavirus or who test positive will need to be quarantined on campus for two weeks. If students do not complete the mandatory coronavirus test – or if they leave the campus area before receiving their exit test results – they will not be able to register for classes, university officials said. .

The campus also has a zero tolerance policy in place for gatherings that do not follow safety guidelines. Any student hosting a large gathering will face “severe penalties”.

“As exciting as last night’s victory over Clemson was, it was very disappointing to see evidence of a widespread disregard for our health protocols at many rallies over the weekend,” Jenkins said in her commentary. Sunday letter.

After the victory, Notre Dame climbed two spots to No.2 in the Associated Press college football poll, while Clemson fell to No.4.

The celebration came just two days after Jenkins released a video warning students about spikes in COVID-19 cases on campus and begged them to redouble their efforts to monitor security measures. Notre Dame reported 24 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, with 220 active cases in total. The university has reported 1,355 positive cases since the start of the fall semester.

Jenkins himself has come under criticism in recent weeks after failing to wear a mask during a ceremony at the Rose Garden of the White House where President Donald Trump introduced Amy Coney Barrett as Supreme Court candidate the United States. Jenkins, who tested positive for COVID-19 days after attending the event, shook hands and sat side by side with the others at the event.

Jenkins later apologized for his actions, saying in a statement that he “had not set an example, at a time when I asked all other members of the Notre Dame community to do so. make”.

The senate of the faculty of Notre-Dame formally expressed its disappointment at the actions of the president of the school with a resolution adopted Thursday.

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