Area college students understand difficulty of overcoming COVID-19 clusters

Avery Hall at UNC-Chapel Hill is the latest location of a COVID-19 cluster.

It's not the first, and probably won't be the last. Some UNC students see it as an inevitability, but say they’ve noticed the efforts the university has taken to protect students, including enforcing mask policies, ensuring social distancing and testing students who live on campus twice a week for COVID-19.

UNC student Nicole Mares is ready for it all to be over, but believes the university is doing what it can.

“I don’t know, it’s just kind of crazy; it’s disappointing for our first year to be like this,” Mares said. "I think they are doing a good job with all of the testing."

The COVID-19 numbers at UNC, NC State and Duke tell very different stories, but all three universities have dealt with cases throughout the school year.

“I think it is the nature of our situation, UNC student Margo Hunter said. "We are going to school in COVID and we are living in close quarters, so as long it’s only been two, it is what it is at this point."