KNOXVILLE (AP) — Students at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville could face punishments as stiff as expulsion if they are "irresponsible" in hosting big parties, if they won't cooperate with COVID-19 contact tracing or if they don't complete forms documenting their self-isolation, the chancellor said Tuesday.
"It's possible that you could be expelled from school and I will not hesitate to do that if people, our students, are irresponsible," Chancellor Donde Plowman said in a video conference.
Plowman also noted five cases linked to an off-campus party last week.
Wednesday is the first day of classes at the flagship campus. School officials have confirmed 75 active COVID-19 cases there, involving 66 students and nine employees. About 6,500 students have moved in on campus, while another 30,000-plus live off campus.
The campus currently has 270 people in isolation due to contacts, symptoms or positive tests, including 51 students living on campus, Plowman said.
Plowman also said students won't be punished for telling contact tracers they attended a party with underage drinking.
"If students do not cooperate with contact tracers or with filling out the self-isolation forms we will pursue, if we need to, student conduct and, ultimately, expelling a student from campus," Plowman said. "And why would we do that? Because you are risking the health and welfare of everyone else here."
Plowman said information on campus COVID-19 case counts will be updated online on Mondays through Fridays.
The state on Tuesday confirmed more than 135,700 positive cases of COVID-19 in Tennessee since the outbreak began, including 1,426 deaths.
While most people who contract the coronavirus recover after suffering only mild to moderate symptoms, it can be deadly for older people and those with existing health problems.
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