Georgia Tech more than doubles new COVID-19 cases in just 7 days

ATLANTA — Just a week after Channel 2 Action News reported that Georgia Tech officials had locked down a fraternity house due to a COVID-19 outbreak, the number of confirmed cases on campus has more than doubled.

On August 22, school officials announced that a total of 252 students had become infected with the virus since the pandemic started in March.

By Saturday, the school was reporting 641 confirmed cases, more than double the number of people on campus who have been infected since the pandemic began in just 7 days.

Students returned to class at Georgia Tech on August 17.

The school is keeping a running tally of new cases.

Many of the confirmed cases last week appeared to be at one fraternity house. Officials announced on Instagram that the Sigma Phi Epsilon house had been turned into an isolation unit after dozens of members tested positive for the virus.

“For the past several days, we have dealt with a spike in COVID-19 cases among our members,” the organization wrote on Instagram on August 22. “As of three days ago, our house was locked down to non-residents.”

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Since then, the university is reporting more than 100 cases of COVID-19 among residents in Greek housing, although it’s unclear if they are all related to Sigma Phi Epsilon.

“To our fellow Greek organizations, we have reported all positive cases to campus officials, and we encourage other organizations who have not to do so,” officials with the fraternity said. “Now is the time to step up and do the right thing.”

School officials said those students are either returning home to isolate or isolating in Greek housing with other affected individuals.

Hundreds more students who live both on and off campus have also been infected.

Students who live on campus but are not in Greek housing and test positive have been given the option to return home or live in housing provided on campus.

Students staged a “die-in” on the first day of classes at Georgia Tech to express their concern about returning to in-person classes.

Group of Georgia Tech professors unhappy with school's reopening plan The professors are speaking out about their concerns.

Cox Media Group