MSU Reports 124 Coronavirus Cases Since Aug. 30

EAST LANSING, MI — Since Aug. 30, 124 Michigan State University students have tested positive for the coronavirus, the university said Tuesday. The cases do not appear to be linked to a particular event, but rather multiple large student gatherings throughout East Lansing, university officials said in a news release.

The students who have tested positive for the virus — all of whom lived off-campus — will be directed to self isolate and receive medical treatment, according to a news release.

"This increase in positive cases among students is disappointing, but not unexpected," MSU President Samuel Stanley said in a statement. "As students return to off-campus housing, some are attending large gatherings where people are in close contact without an appropriate face covering. This is the easiest and fastest way for the coronavirus to spread."

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MSU was one of the first large universities to switch to online-only classes when it announced it was doing so in mid-August. More than 107,000 cases of the coronavirus have been reported as of Monday.

Universities and large gatherings have combined for a large portion of active coronavirus outbreaks within Michigan. According to state data, 61 new outbreaks of the virus were reported on Monday. Of those, seven were at universities or institutions of higher education. Six outbreaks were reported as stemming from social gatherings.

Among ongoing coronavirus outbreaks, colleges were the location of four. Social gatherings resulted in 12.