The University of Massachusetts Amherst is under a strict lockdown because of a coronavirus spike that happened after students returned for spring semester.
The university said that all students, on campus or off, are required to stay in their residences.
Students will only be allowed out for twice-weekly coronavirus testing, to get food, or for medical necessity. Failure to comply will result in disciplinary action, which may include removal from residence halls, suspension, or both, the university said.
“To many of you these may seem like drastic measures, but faced with the surge in cases we are experiencing in our campus community, we have no choice but to take these steps. By acting aggressively now, we are confident we can contain this surge and more quickly return to normal operations, including a resumption of in-person classes and organized student activities,” UMass Chancellor Kumble R. Subbaswamy said in a letter Sunday to the university community.
Spring semester classes began last Monday. From Tuesday to Thursday of last week, which were the latest three days of testing results at UMass, the university counted 298 positive tests, and there are now 398 active cases, Subbaswamy said.
Sporting events and practices have been canceled. The university said its “high risk” level would be in effect for at least 14 days, at least until Feb. 21. The restrictions went into effect 2 p.m. Sunday.
“The level will only be changed if the public health situation improves significantly,” the university website says.
The university had raised the alert level to “elevated” on Friday. University officials have blamed undergraduate students who have not followed social-distancing and masking protocols.
“Let this moment be a stark reminder to any of you who may have been cavalier about COVID-19 that your individual behavior has a profound impact on everyone in your community. If each of us follows proper protocols to help protect the community, we can get through this trying time sooner and stronger,” Subbaswamy said.
The university has said that about 5,400 students, or 39 percent of capacity, were expected to live on campus for the spring semester. That was up from about 1,100 students who lived on campus during the fall. The university estimated that another 7,000 to 8,000 students would live off-campus in the area, a number similar to the fall. For all students, the “great majority” of classes will be remote, the university has said.
“We have a collective responsibility for the safety of ourselves and others, and I deeply appreciate the vast majority of students who are complying with public health protocols,” Subbaswamy said.
“Our extensive planning process anticipated the possibility of this occurrence, and we are prepared to take swift and decisive action to protect our community. Be assured that in all we do, the health and well-being of our students, faculty, and staff are of paramount concern,” he said.
Sarah Dwyer, a senior living two minutes from campus, said she is disappointed that some people aren’t following the rules.
“It’s just extremely frustrating to know that so many of the students have so much disregard for the well-being of everybody else,” she said. “It definitely is very disappointing just thinking about what the rest of the semester could be like.”
Dwyer said that at night, she has seen people congregating in groups, dressed for going out. She also said she had seen multiple Snapchat videos of students partying at fraternities. The Massachusetts Daily Collegian reported that one fraternity hosted two crowded, maskless parties the weekend after students returned to campus.
The town of Amherst and the nearby towns of Hadley and Sunderland reacted to the new cases at the university by deciding not to join other communities in the state in loosening some restrictions on businesses Monday.
Martin Finucane can be reached at martin.finucane@globe.com.