According to an email from Carolina Housing sent to residents of Morrison Residence Hall, there are five students isolating after testing positive. Residents of three floors are directed to remain in their rooms, unless to pick up food or receive medical assistance, until they receive a negative test result.
In the email, residents who have not been tested at a Carolina Together site within the past 24 hours, are directed to get tested.
A cluster response team will be on site between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. in the lobby of the residence hall, according to the email.
The cluster at Morrison Residence Hall marks the third of the semester, following a cluster at Carmichael Residence Hall confirmed on Jan. 13 and a cluster at Avery Residence Hall confirmed on Jan. 29.
According to UNC's COVID-19 dashboard, 32 students and two employees were confirmed positive for COVID-19 Saturday and Sunday. In total since January, there have been 301 positive cases identified through on-campus testing, with the positivity rate staying at 0.9 percent.
Jan. 29, 2021 — Avery Residence Hall Cluster
The University confirmed a COVID-19 cluster at Avery Residence Hall Friday. The cluster at Avery represents the second of the spring semester, after UNC announced a cluster at Carmichael Residence Hall on the first day of campus move in.
A cluster is defined as five or more cases close in location. The individuals in the cluster have been identified and are isolating and receiving medical monitoring.
At the direction of Orange County Health Department, residents in Avery are asked to "stay in place" until they can be tested, University spokesperson Leslie Minton said in an email.
Residents in Avery received a letter from Carolina Housing Executive Director Allan Blattner and Campus Health Executive Director Ken Pittman stating that to stay in place means not leaving their residence hall room unless to pick up food or seek medical attention.
There are five confirmed cases in the cluster, according to the letter sent to residents. A cluster response testing team will be onsite in the residence hall Friday, Jan. 29 between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. Students are asked to get tested Friday — unless they have been tested in the last 24 hours at a Carolina Together testing center.
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If a resident cannot get tested within the testing window, they are asked to get tested as soon as possible at a campus testing site.
Tests from Avery residents will be moved to front of the line for immediate processing, Minton said.
Carolina Together testing program update
As of Friday, Jan. 29 the University has processed over 25,000 COVID-19 tests through the Carolina Together testing program.
According to UNC's COVID-19 dashboard, 30 students and four employees were confirmed positive for COVID-19 Thursday. In total for January, there have been 253 positive cases identified through on-campus testing, with a positivity rate of 0.9 percent.
Following long lines seen during the first week of classes, the University has reduced line waiting times to a maximum of 15 minutes, according to a statement from the Carolina Together testing program. The turnaround time to receive tests results is about 27 hours.
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