SMU: Three Students Test Positive For COVID-19, All Tested During Spring Break
SMU announced March 25 that three students, none of whom are on campus, tested positive for COVID-19.
University leadership said all three students were tested after leaving campus for spring break.
The first student, a graduate student in the Cox School of Business who lives off campus, attended one class on March 11 after returning from an international study trip and tested positive at a local hospital on March 15, a letter from SMU President R. Gerald Turner states.
The second student, an undergraduate in Dedman College who was living in Loyd Commons with no roommate, was last on campus on March 13 and subsequently tested positive after returning to the family home out-of-state, according to campus leadership.
The third student, a Dedman College undergraduate who lives in a private, off-campus residence, was last on campus on March 13 and subsequently tested positive after returning to the family home out-of-state, the letter reads.
All three students who have reported positive tests are recovering at home under the care of their personal physicians. In all three of these instances, the time between the student’s last presence on campus and their confirmed positive tests for COVID-19 were within the estimated 14-day incubation period for the virus, according to the statement.
The university won’t provide more information, citing privacy concerns.
“However, the University is making every effort to inform individuals most likely to have been in close proximity to these students, such as classmates, faculty members, and members of the graduate student’s international study team. Those persons more likely to have been in contact with them are being advised to self-monitor for symptoms of fever, cough and shortness of breath,” Turner said in his letter to the campus community. “By moving our classes online and requiring only essential personnel to come to campus, SMU has dramatically reduced its campus population to support social distancing and slow the spread of COVID-19. “
