DURHAM, N.C. _ Students in Duke University's famous tent village, where they wait for admission to men's basketball games, were given a grace period to leave Wednesday evening for an indefinite time because of the severity this year's flu season and student illnesses.
Krzyzewskiville, a village set up by students, will be cleared out in a move reported by Duke's student newspaper, The Chronicle, and confirmed by campus officials.
Vice President for Student Affairs Larry Moneta told parents the university acted because it has "had several new cases of influenza among our student population" and has "identified some students from K-ville with the flu."
As a result, "we've elected to take a cautious approach" with the tent village, he said in a posting to the Duke parents' Facebook group.
"The continued high-level activity of this flu season is consistent with the severe seasons of 2009 and 2014," Moneta said. "While the virus is not more inherently infectious than average, it's making its way to a lot more people."
Duke students set up tents before major men's basketball games to stake out a place in line to get admission to games. Tenters stay there in groups to hold their spot in line.
The tent city often attracts more than 1,000 campers and is strictly regulated by students.
Depending on the week, a certain number of tenters from each group are required to be inside the tent during the day and at night.
Duke Student Government, which regulates the tent city, gave all tenters who had staked out a spot an "indefinite grace period" starting at 10 p.m. Wednesday, The Chronicle reported, meaning tents would not be checked.
Between Jan. 29 and Feb. 6, one person in each group of 12 is required to be in the tent during the day, and six must be there during night hours. But during this grace period, tenters will not lose their spot for leaving.
There are 70 groups camping in Krzyzewskiville, according to the report.
The winter storm in mid-January, which brought almost a foot of snow in some parts of Durham County, also shut down Krzyzewskiville, the student newspaper said.
The tenting period this season began Jan. 12 and lasts until Feb. 22.
The Centers for Disease Control reported that flu cases across the country have spiked early this season.
Moneta said Duke officials will "be evaluating conditions daily and hope to reopen K-ville as soon as possible." He also asked parents to "prod their sons or daughters at the university who are feeling flu-like symptoms" to go to the student health center for assessment and treatment.
The flu has killed 67 people in North Carolina this season, including two children. The number of flu deaths this season is already more than the 2015-2016 flu season, when 59 people died in the state.
