TUCSON, Ariz. — "We've seen some people who have not worn a mask. We've seen some people who have not adhered to these public health practices," said Dr. Richard Carmona, former U.S. Surgeon General and currently at the College of Public Health at UArizona.
The tone of leaders on campus is optimistic but firm: there are cases and they're doing something about it.
University President, Dr. Robert Robbins, said new measures will go into effect to make sure people are following safety rules.
"We're hiring monitors from a private security company to patrol and ensure compliance of health and safety directives."
Robbins said it won't just be hired security keeping tabs on anyone at the University.
"In addition, the COVID Ambassador Team of Students is a campus group that positively encourages students to 'bear down and mask up."
Cases have been reported at a sorority house and even two at a dorm on campus.
Dr. Carmona said these cases are giving medical researchers ideas about how the virus acts.
"We were able to identify, very early, before anybody was symptomatic, that there were sick people in their dorm, by morning they had been tested, identified the two students and moved them into an isolation area."
"This morning we held a seminar for off-campus building managers, sorority and fraternity houses on isolation, cleaning practices and other COVID-related mitigation and response issues," Robbins said.
University brass said testing and contact tracing will continue especially in waste water where they remain optimistic about keeping track of any cases without full on testing of everyone in dorms or on campus.
"You have to help us; you are our greatest strength but you are our greatest weakness if you don't comply," Dr. Carmona said.
No word yet about the data of cases on campus, Dr. Carmona said that will be presented at a press conference on Thursday.
