Sixteen students have tested positive for COVID-19 in residence and on varsity teams, according to a statement released by the university on March 30 and Carleton’s Cases on Campus tracker.
The outbreak, which came less than two weeks after St. Patrick’s Day on March 17, is the largest on-campus outbreak of the year.
The university first announced four positive tests, before updating its total positive case count to 14 on March 29. Two additional positive cases were added to the Cases on Campus tracker on March 31.
All positive tests in residence are from students in Prescott House, Laura Storey, director of Housing and Residence Life Services, told the Charlatan.
Students who have tested positive are currently self-isolating, according to the university.
In response to the outbreak, all lounges in residence will be closed until at least April 13 and affected varsity teams have suspended practices. The High-Performance Centre in Athletics will also be closed indefinitely, per the university.
In an email to Prescott students on March 28, Housing and Residence Life Services said it had been made aware that multiple individuals had tested positive. On March 29, all residence students were informed in an email that “several students” had tested positive.
“Ontario has confirmed that we are in the third wave of the pandemic, and the number of positive cases is continuing to rise in Ottawa and across the province,” said Suzanne Blanchard, Carleton COVID-19 lead and vice-president (students and enrollment), in a statement.
“At the same time, we are experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak in residence and several COVID-19 cases involving varsity athletes,” Blanchard said. “All of the necessary protocols are in place to minimize the risk of community transfer.”
Blanchard said the university is working with Ottawa Public Health to complete contact tracing of affected individuals.
