In-person classes at Marist College have been canceled and all sports and activities have been halted after more COVID-19 cases have been discovered on campus.

Students are now attending classes virtually from their dorm rooms after Marist College revealed this weekend that there were 180 COVID-19 cases, up from just 100 at the end of last week. The rising number of infected people has caused the school to upgrade its alert level from yellow to orange.

The new designation adds even more restrictions to those that were already put in place after a spike in cases was discovered during the St. Patrick's Day week. In response to the outbreak, Champagnat Hall and Marian Hall had been put under quarantine, with residents ordered to stay in their dorm rooms. Students in both dorms have not been allowed to attend in-person classes. The pause also shuttered the campus dining hall and placed restrictions on socializing with other students.

The upgrade to an orange alert means that in-person classes are now suspended for all students, not just those residing in affected residence halls. The new designation has also completely shut down the McCann Recreation Center. Executive Vice President Geoff Brackett says the precautions are necessary to keep students safe.

This is a proactive, voluntary decision by the College. The College’s medical team believes that these measures, coupled with robust testing, should help to successfully contain the spread.

Marist's 7-day positive rate continues to rise but is still below that of Dutchess County. The school says it will keep the current restrictions in place until at least March 26 and then reassess the data to see if restrictions can be lifted.

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