BERKELEY, Calif. _ Another 25 students at University of California, Berkeley have tested positive for coronavirus in an outbreak largely linked to fraternity and sorority parties earlier this month.
The new cases bring the university's total to 95 and come on the heels of 47 infections that stemmed from Greek life gatherings in early July. About three-quarters of the latest cases _ 20 of whom are undergraduates _ have been connected to the same parties, said UC Berkeley spokesperson Janet Gilmore Friday.
"Most (maybe half to three quarters) are connected to the CalGreeks and others who attended parties elsewhere and/or went on to participate in other social events (or went back to their homes) and exposed others," Gilmore wrote in an email.
Those events, hosted during the first week of July among both Greek and non-Greek students, were marked by a lack of "basic safety measures" such as social distancing, wearing face coverings, limiting event size and gathering outside, the university previously said.
On Thursday, the university also confirmed eight cases among athletes who returned to campus for voluntary workouts. It was not immediately clear if these cases were included among the 25 announced Friday.
The university's cases make up about 31% of the city of Berkeley's 302 total confirmed COVID-19 infections. All infected students are housed off campus and experiencing mild symptoms, Gilmore said, adding that it's a good sign to see students who were exposed getting tested.
"The number of new cases has not jumped exponentially; it is actually moving in the right direction," she said.
