KEY POINTS

  • 23 Pi Beta Phi members tested positive for COVID-19 over the weekend
  • The outbreak prompted Oklahoma State University officials to put the house under quarantine 
  • Only one sorority members showed symptoms of COVID-19 
  • Another member who lived outside the sorority house tested positive

An Oklahoma State University (OSU) sorority house was put under quarantine after more than 20 members tested positive for COVID-19 over the weekend.

University officials confirmed Saturday, August 8, that 23 Pi Beta Phi sorority members contracted the virus. The news came after they learned of the positive cases late Friday, said the Oklahoman.

OSU media relations director Monica Roberts told the outlet that only one member of Pi Beta Phi showed symptoms of COVID-19 as of Saturday, while one member who lives outside of the sorority house tested positive.

Sorority women gather at a memorial service in California.
Sorority members gather with fellow students at the University of California, Santa Barbara’s Harder Stadium, May 27, 2014. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

She has been put in isolation and no members are allowed to leave the off-campus sorority house, she added.

“Due to the nature of this situation, the entire chapter house is in isolation or quarantine and will be prohibited from leaving the facility,” said OSU, according to Fox News.

Roberts said the outbreak was “expected” considering 20,000 students came back. While she admitted that there will “invariably be more cases related to campus,” OSU has been preparing for such a situation for five months and has the necessary measures to manage the outbreak.

“Our priority is the safety and well-being of our campus community and transparency in communications,” Roberts said.

A third-party contractor was tasked to disinfect the sorority house and will repeat the process after the mandatory 14-day quarantine period. The Payne County Health Department meanwhile is helping OSU with contact tracing, reported the Oklahoman.

The recent outbreak brought a wave of fear to students who, after learning of the cases, are afraid to go back to school. News 9 also detailed about a video showing a Stillwater bar packed with people despite stern guidelines to maintain social distancing.

The video, which saw its views rise to over 200,000, prompted Stillwater mayor Will Joyce to urge residents to wear face masks and take precautions. The chief executive also said on Twitter that the city council will convene to discuss their COVID-19 response that would include a “potential ordinance to allow more opportunity for outdoor service by bars.”

An emergency declaration may also be considered, Joyce said, as Stillwater anticipates the rise of COVID-19 cases with school starting, according to News 9.

While OSU tackles an outbreak, students at the University of North Georgia celebrated the first semester amid the pandemic by throwing a party.

The video, which was shared on social media, was held at a privately owned, off-campus apartment complex in Dahlonega. It showed throngs of people enjoying without any masks and at the same time, violating social distancing guidelines, said Fox News in a separate article.

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