RALEIGH, N.C. _ As more UNC campuses report COVID-19 clusters, Gov. Roy Cooper said Wednesday that "it's possible" he could issue an executive order focused on limiting viral spread at universities.
But he emphasized that his administration is focused on working cooperatively with university administrators and local law enforcement to win student compliance with health safety orders.
The state Department of Health and Human Services gave universities COVID-19 safety guidelines, but did not make final decisions, said Dr. Mandy Cohen, the agency's secretary, at a news conference Wednesday with Cooper that focused on the start of fall semesters at K-12 public schools and universities.
UNC-Chapel Hill students switched to online classes Wednesday, a week after the start of the semester after multiple COVID-19 case clusters were reported on campus.
UNC officials said they were surprised at the "magnitude and velocity" that COVID-19 spread on campus, The News & Observer reported.
N.C. State University, East Carolina University and Appalachian State University have also reported COVID-19 clusters.
What's happening at UNC-Chapel Hill should serve as a lesson to other universities, Cooper said.
"As these universities are getting ready to open or in the process of opening, they need to look to see what happened at UNC-Chapel Hill and make decisions accordingly," he said.
Universities should enforce honor codes and work with local law enforcement to make sure orders for mask wearing and limits on gatherings are followed.
Communal living makes it hard to control outbreaks, Cohen said. The virus spreads when people are together, usually indoors, and aren't wearing masks, she said.
State Public Safety Secretary Erik Hooks said law enforcement agencies are encouraged to get people to comply voluntarily with the orders for masks and crowd limits. Enforcement doesn't necessarily mean mass arrests, Hooks said. It could mean issuing citations.
Hooks said he has sent guidance to law enforcement agencies, including campus police departments, on enforcing pandemic executive orders.
Cooper said his administration wants to work together with universities, and though at this point they make recommendations, an order is something that could occur. Cohen said they have worked on guidance for higher education for months. She is recommending reducing the number of students living in dorms.
At Wednesday's news conference, Cooper announced a $12 million fund to expand internet access. More than half of the state's K-12 public school students are starting the year working remotely, and the lack of broadband has been a concern.
Cooper said the money would make broadband available to 8,000 additional families and 250 businesses, farms and community institutions in 11 counties, including Orange County in the Triangle.
"Now that we're living in a socially distanced world, reliable internet is more important than ever, particularly for students learning remotely and people working from home," Cooper said.
This week, the majority of North Carolina K-12 public schools students started the new year online only. The state's Plan B reopening plan allows school districts to choose a combination of online and in-person education with restrictions.
Most school districts opted to start the year online only on Aug. 17, which is a week earlier than previous years, after the General Assembly's COVID-19 relief package passed in May changed the school calendar.
"All colleges and universities should be requiring students and staff to wear cloth masks that cover the mouth and nose, and limiting social gatherings to 10 people indoors and 25 outdoors," N.C. DHHS spokesperson Catie Armstrong said in a statement emailed to The News & Observer on Tuesday.
"Because COVID-19 is highly contagious, communal living such as dorms makes it challenging to control virus outbreaks. Reducing the number of students living in communal dorms can help prevent spread of the virus," she said. "We will continue engaging with the higher education community as they learn from the experiences at UNC-Chapel Hill and work to protect their campuses and surrounding communities."
Cohen echoed the recommendation about reducing dorm capacity to reporters on Wednesday.
