BOWLING GREEN, Ky.  — Western Kentucky University tested 315 students, faculty, and staff, in the past week, resulting in the quarantine of ten students. 

What You Need To Know

  • Handful of WKU students placed in quarantine

  • School has seen a drop in cases over the last few weeks

  • A dorm has been converted into a quarantine center

  • Since July, WKU has had 675 positive cases

The university has seen a significant drop in cases, reporting 177 positive cases a few weeks ago, to now reporting less than twenty. In the past few weeks, they have also seen a decrease in the number of students in quarantine, with only ten having to report to Barnes Campbell Hall. Barnes Campbell is the quarantine resident hall. Director of Media Relations, Bob Skipper, says they’ve organized each floor to cater to the various severities of the virus. 

“Barnes Campbell is designated by floor as to which students are quarantined there whether they are positives or contacts, symptomatic or asymptomatic so that only alike students are quarantined on the same floor,” says Skipper. 

Students in quarantine fill out a survey daily, to ensure they receive three meals a day. Testing and counseling services are also available to students stuck inside. Those in quarantine fall on a wide spectrum, but the expectation is to still communicate with teachers and faculty. 

“They are expected to maintain contact with their faculty and the faculty will accommodate them, help them, make sure they stay up with their lessons and homework, so they are not behind once they come out of quarantine,” says Skipper. 

Working with the Barren River Health Department, the university reports a decline in cases with no outbreaks connected to a classroom or residence hall. Skipper says although things are looking up, they will continue offering both online and in-person courses until a vaccine can become widely available. 

“We don’t anticipate that we can let our guard down at all. Especially without a vaccine in place that’s very widely distributed, so we will continue having the vigilance of having the mixed modalities with all of our precautions remaining in place,” says Skipper. 

Western Kentucky University has reported 675 positive cases since July 1 but has only reported 8 cases from the week of September 25 through the 28.