UL Sees Increase in COVID-19 Cases

I can recall sitting in our offices in July wondering if the 2020/2021 school year would even take place. We were just a month or so removed from "virtual graduations" and college campuses that looked more like ghost towns than institutions of higher learning. But, to their credit, University of Louisiana System officials created a plan to get students back in the classroom and back on campus, and in my uneducated opinion, that plan has worked pretty well.

Perhaps we should knock on wood right about now. Granted the school year has been so far, so good but officials at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette are now reporting the highest case numbers for COVID-19 since the pandemic began. According to figures released by UL, there were 38 cases of the disease reported during the first week in November.

While that number might not seem large in comparison to the school's total enrollment it's the fact that the case numbers are growing that is the reason for concern. UL has just come off of homecoming weekend and there is another big football weekend planned for campus this Saturday.

Again, I applaud organizers for homecoming and football events, for the most part, they've been well attended but socially spaced with proper precautions in place.

The University has just about two weeks left in the semester and confidence is high that the Ragin Cajun student body and faculty will power through the most unprecedented semester just fine. That's because University officials and student leaders are acting as one and voicing a singular message about the disease and how to mitigate its spread.