Duke warning: Students might have to remain in their rooms if virus trends don't improve

"We may not be able to complete the semester as we started. That could mean going completely remote. It may mean limiting campus access. All of those things are real possibilities if we don’t stop the spread," Vice Provost of Undergraduate Education Gary Bennett said in a video message sent to students Tuesday night.

"The next step is everybody stays in their apartment or in their room, and it’s not going to be a good time, so let’s not get there," Vice Provost of Student Affairs Mary Pat McMahon said in the video.

Duke has already reported more coronavirus infections in the past month, 296, than it did all of fall semester, when 241 students and employees tested positive for the virus.

Duke dealing with COVID-19 cluster just two weeks into semester

"We were expecting to see much greater numbers of individuals test positive when they arrived back on campus," Duke Vice President of Public Affairs Michael Schoenfeld said Wednesday, noting that more students are on campus this semester, the university has expanded its virus testing and the virus is more prevalent in the community.

But officials said they have found a number of cases linked to students working out in gyms and gathering off campus. Between two-thirds and three-quarters of the cases involve students who live off campus, Schoenfeld said.

"I think the difference this semester is people got a little too comfortable," freshman Anthony Salgado said.

Duke isn't close to confining students to their rooms, Schoenfeld said, but the possibility is there if viral spread continues unchecked.

"We’re monitoring this and watching it and trying to act on it every single day," Schoenfeld said. "We hope we don't have to get there."

Salgado and freshman Mark Kabai said the warning is needed, but it's still discouraging.

"Duke really has a responsibility to keep us safe, especially since we are paying to be here," Kabai said. "I think we’re a little bit more scared right now."

Changes made on Duke's campus after coronavirus cases spread through eating together

Most Duke classes are already online, students aren't allowed to eat at any indoor facilities, and students need an appointment to visit the library. Salgado also noted that students can face university sanctions for being unmasked outside their dorm rooms.

Being forced to remain in their rooms could be too much for many students, Salgado and Kabai said.

"If I had to stay online and by myself all the time, that’s like solitary confinement. I’d go crazy," Salgado said, noting that his one in-person class this semester provides him an opportunity to interact with others. "Even having a lab partner on campus makes things flow a lot easier than having to set up a Zoom [call]."

"We would lose a lot of access to the Durham community. We often go to get food or shop at small businesses," Kabai said. "I think a lot of students really don’t want to be in this situation anymore."

He said he and many other students would choose to go home rather than stay on a locked-down campus.

Schoenfeld said there is little chance that Duke would send students home if the virus continues to spread on campus.

"What could be more dangerous than sending people around the country and around the world? I do not see that as an option," he said.