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A coronavirus outbreak has struck the University of Maryland campus. According to the university, 46 student-athletes have tested positive for COVID-19 after a series of testing on August 31 and September 1.
The University Health Center conducted on-campus screening for 501 student-athletes with the 46 positive tests impacting 10 different sports programs.
The testing comes as in-person classes are set to begin in 11 days.
“As we experience an unprecedented year in college athletics and across the entire country due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we continue to keep the health, safety and welfare of our student-athletes and staff first and foremost,” said Athletic Director Damon Evans.
“The most recent testing results have revealed an uptick in positive tests among Maryland student-athletes. Out of an abundance of caution, we are temporarily pausing all workouts for our programs. We continue to educate our student-athletes and staff about best practices and protocols to be safe this time. We look forward to when our student-athletes can safely return to workouts and then restart their seasons.”
Student-athletes will be tested again on Tuesday, September 8.
NEW TONIGHT: All @umterps athletics training has been suspended immediately- 501 student athletes were tested on Aug 31 & Sept 1, and 46 TESTED POSITIVE, affecting 10 different teams! pic.twitter.com/OaWgSljCc7
— Sharla McBride (@SharlaMcBride) September 4, 2020
The coronavirus mainly comes from animals and a majority of those who were infected early either worked at or frequently visited the Huanan seafood wholesale market in Wuhan, according to The Guardian. The virus is similar to Severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) and Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome (Mers).
The Wuhan coronavirus is transmitted from person to person through “droplet transmission.” That means an infected person can pass the virus by sneezing or coughing on another person as well as by direct contact.
While a majority of the cases have been detected in the United States and China — with more than 5.72 million confirmed cases and 177,000 deaths in the United States — it has now reached many countries around the world. It has also been confirmed in Italy, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and many other eastern countries.
