Fans await the return of football as the first home game is set for September 18. PN Photo/Ja’Quel Williams.
By: Hunter Lockler, Contributor
With the return of students on campus to begin the 2021 fall semester, UNCP is experiencing its
first COVID-19 cluster. The Office of the Chancellor sent a mass email to all students regarding the cluster.
“Today, we will post the first cluster of this semester, among UNCP football athletes, to our COVID dashboard,” according to the email.
UNCP’s first football game was originally scheduled for September 4 at Winston-Salem State, but will be postponed to a later date due to the illness of our athletes. The number of athletes involved in the COVID-19 cluster is undisclosed information.
The Chancellor’s office also reported that on-campus performed COVID-19 testing positivity rates
have increased to a slight 3.2%. Those numbers are still low compared to state rates, but the Chancellor’s office still wants students to follow protocols and see that number trend in the opposite direction. The agenda is still clear that UNCP wants all students, if possible, to get vaccinated and to always wear masks in indoor public spaces.
Crystal Moore, director of UNCP’s Student Health Services, spoke about the importance of getting vaccinated and how easily accessible it is on campus, as well as the mass amounts of frequent testing.
“The university is providing free and frequent testing for all campus members to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 on campus. Vaccines are readily available, and every day they are proving how safe and effective they are at preventing significant illness and hospitalization,” said Moore.
UNCP’s goal is to have a fun and sociable campus environment, while still making sure students are
being safe and following state and school mandates. For anyone that is looking to get vaccinated you can find out more information at uncp.edu/CVax. If you are experiencing any illness, UNCP encourages you to not hesitate and report them immediately to Student Health Services or send an email to covid@uncp.edu.
