University of Guelph COVID-19 outbreak rises to 61 cases on Friday

An outbreak of COVID-19 at the University of Guelph has risen to 61 cases, Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph public health reports.

The school says it will increase "measures, monitoring and enforcement" after students gathered for"unsanctioned gatherings" in residence buildingsmid-January.

In a statement earlier this week, the universitysaidmostly"first-year domestic students"attended parties at the East Village Townhouses on January 15 and 16. So far, 32 people have been fined $120 each for attending.

The university says it has reached out to all students living in residence about the situation. Approximately 200 students of the 840 currently living in residence are in isolation.Students must contact health services before leaving isolation.

Each day, the students who are isolating receive check-in calls from the university's student affairs team.

"During the check-ins, students and staff discuss the student's physical wellbeing, their isolation period and any new or changing symptoms," the school says in an FAQ on its website."The conversations also cover students' mental well-being."