Broome Welcomes Back University and College Students

Classes get underway online, in-person or a combination of those for Binghamton University students February 11.

Students began moving back February 5 and the classes at the new Pharmacy School began on Monday, February 8.

Students throughout the State University of New York system are going through ramped-up weekly testing for the coronavirus. According to New York State’s SUNY tracker, Broome Community College has had no positive results to date while Binghamton University shows a projected total of 14 cases of COVID-19 out of almost 44,000 tests to-date.

Broome County Executive Jason Garnar says he does not expect the big increase in the number of COVID testing being done in the county due to the student tests will translate into a large rise in the positivity rate.  Broome County and the Southern Tier remain at the bottom of the positivity rate listings in New York State.

The SUNY COVID tracker reports there are five Binghamton University students in mandatory quarantine while several other students are in isolation on and off campus.

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Meanwhile, last week, a cluster of COVID cases was being reported at Cornell University.  Officials traced the cases to off campus parties, mainly drawing members and guests of Cornell Greek organizations.  The Cornell Alert system sent out a notice February 5 concerning at least 12 cases in students attending parties in Collegetown where face coverings and distancing were not practiced.  The statement from the University said “Moving to COVID-19 alert level yellow prior to the first day of classes is not the start to the semester that we had hoped for.”