UNC-Chapel Hill’s Alert Carolina system notified students two more “clusters” of students had tested positive for COVID-19 on campus Wednesday, bringing the total number of outbreaks at the school to six in five days.

The clusters are in Morrison Residence Hall and Zeta Psi Fraternity on Cameron Avenue. Morrison marks the third high-rise dorm on UNC’s South Campus to report a cluster; Craige Residence Hall is the only dorm without a reported cluster.

Zeta Psi, also called Zete, was cited in a Chapel Hill Police report early Saturday morning before the first week of class for holding a loud party and mass gathering. However, no action was taken by the police department, according to the report.

Zete is the second fraternity on UNC’s campus to have an identified COVID-19 cluster, which the university defines as a group of five or more cases. The first fraternity to report a cluster was Sigma Nu, which announced its members had tested positive for the virus Saturday.

The university’s athletics department announced Wednesday they were pausing all practices until at least Thursday night to “protect students, coaches and staff,” according to a statement from director Bubba Cunningham.

The university did not disclose the number of cases, citing their interpretation of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. During the first week of classes, at least 135 students tested positive for the virus. 

Minutes before UNC issued its alert, NC State University announced two more clusters related to its campus, both at sorority houses. They included the number of cases at each house, reporting seven cases at Alpha Delta Pi and six cases at Kappa Delta, both located in the school’s Greek Village. (See how easy that is, UNC?)

This is the third cluster reported at NC State; the first was at an off-campus residence that held a large gathering the weekend before classes started. University representatives told the NCSU Technician that eight cases were in sorority and fraternity organizations, although it is unclear if these are related to today’s clusters.

Follow Digital Content Manager Sara Pequeño on Twitter or send an email to spequeno@indyweek.com. 

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