‘Assume that everyone around you is infected,’ city tells Temple students; Cherry Hill schools go virtual

Philadelphia’s top health official told Temple University students on Tuesday that “you should assume that everyone around you is infected” as the number of cases associated with the school increased.

The university is up to 127 confirmed cases after reporting 103 over the weekend. Temple and city health officials tested nearly 500 Temple students Monday and are awaiting the results, Health Commissioner Thomas Farley said.

Contact tracing has shown that Temple students have most likely been exposed to the virus in off-campus apartments and at small social gatherings.

“Overall, these numbers are concerning, and the rate of rise is even more concerning,” Farley said, adding to students: “Stay in your room, or stay in your apartment.”

» READ MORE: With more than 100 coronavirus cases, Temple University shuts down in-person classes for two weeks

Case counts were rising at other Pennsylvania colleges, too: Pennsylvania State University, which reported 31 cases on Friday, was at 73 on Monday, according to the latest available count. Of those, 69 are at the school’s main campus in State College.

Villanova University, which had confirmed 13 cases on Friday, reported 32 on Tuesday. And Bloomsburg University, which reverted to almost all remote instruction due to an outbreak initially among 90 students last week, had 167 cases as of Monday.

Philadelphia reported 131 new cases Tuesday, with an average of 97 cases reported per day in the week that ended Saturday. That number, which counts only city residents, may not include many of the students infected at Temple because they often use their home addresses when getting tested, Farley said.

“We are working closely with the city on our efforts,” said Ray Betzner, Temple spokesman. “This is a serious situation, and we are taking serious actions.”

Temple has moved most instruction online at least through Sept. 11.

Because many students live off campus, Farley said there could be “substantial risk” that the outbreak among Temple students could spread to other Philadelphia residents — though that has not yet been seen.

“This is our nightmare, that Temple could [drive] a COVID outbreak that puts the work that the entire city is doing in jeopardy,” said Steve Newman, president of the Temple Association of University Professionals, the faculty union. “The fact that it’s a possibility should be deeply concerning to all of us, and suggests that this two-week pause is not enough.”

State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, a Temple alumnus, said in a statement to The Inquirer that he hoped the university would engage with faculty unions, students, and long-term residents, and urged the school to consider distance learning for the rest of the semester.

New cases remain high in young Philadelphians in general, with a third of new cases in the past two days among 20- to 29-year-olds.

On Tuesday, Cherry Hill Public Schools, one of South Jersey’s largest districts, became the latest to announce it would hold remote classes only — just a week before school was to start with a hybrid model using in-person and virtual learning.

The district’s more than 11,000 students will receive online instruction until at least Nov. 9, school officials said.

Parents and teachers had raised concerns about returning in person, and the teachers’ union had questioned the ventilation systems in schools. The district had also received “an ever-increasing” number of leave-of-absence requests from teachers, Superintendent Joseph Meloche said in a letter to parents Tuesday.

Like other districts, Cherry Hill plans to distribute Chromebooks to students who need them, and students who qualify will be able to get breakfast and lunch.

“We understand these new challenges are not easy for any of us and that this decision is going to cause frustration and anger for many,” school officials wrote. “This time of frustration requires all of us to communicate well and respectfully, and to maintain a focus on the children of our community.”

As schools continue reckoning with the pandemic, so do homes for the elderly. “A number” of Pennsylvania’s nursing or assisted-living facilities discovered new cases or outbreaks during recent testing, Health Secretary Rachel Levine said Tuesday, announcing that universal testing of residents and staff has now been completed at all of Pennsylvania’s care facilities, including personal-care, assisted-living, and private intermediate-care homes.

The testing had been completed in nursing homes in late July, and assisted-living and other such licensed facilities were required to finish by Monday. The data will be reviewed and then published, along with data already collected, by the state.

“COVID-19 is still a very real threat,” Human Services Secretary Teresa Miller said, “but we are better positioned now as we head into the fall and flu season with the knowledge and experience that we’ve gained.”

Also preparing for the fall, Philadelphia set new guidelines for sports — excluding professional and collegiate teams whose safety protocols are reviewed by the city — in response to the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association’s decision to allow high school sports to proceed this fall.

The guidance prohibits competition in high-risk contact sports such as football, soccer, rugby, and indoor basketball. Sports considered lower-risk can continue, including cross-country, track and field, baseball, and crew.

» READ MORE: PIAA gives the green light to fall high school sports in Pennsylvania

For sports that are prohibited from holding competitions, Farley said, teams can still hold practices but should focus on skills-building rather than contact activities that could easily spread the coronavirus. Sports competitions that are held cannot have spectators present, and tournaments are prohibited.

Games in parks, such as three-on-three basketball, can continue, Farley said.

Nationally, the numbers of daily cases and daily deaths continued on a downward trend, although some states are still seeing increases.

Pennsylvania reported 770 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, with an overall decrease in daily new cases since the end of July. The state is averaging about 650 new cases a day over the last seven days, according to an Inquirer analysis.

New Jersey reported 365 cases Tuesday; its average daily case count decreased overall in August, with some variation from week to week.

Even with some improving metrics, the mental toll can be significant as the pandemic stretches on.

Philadelphia has had a 17% increase in deaths by suicide so far this year compared with 2019, Mayor Jim Kenney said Tuesday as he acknowledged the start of Suicide Prevention Month. At the same time, calls to the city’s crisis line have decreased, which officials said was concerning.

“We all face the stress, anxiety, and hardships of COVID-19,” Kenney said, adding that the pandemic has led to an increase in mental health issues and substance abuse.

He encouraged residents who are worried about a loved one to ask them if they are considering suicide, listen without judgment, keep them safe, and connect them to professional help.

Philadelphia’s help hotline is 215-685-6440, and resources are available at mindphltogether.com. Pennsylvania’s support hotline is 855-284-2494 or text “PA” to 741-741. New Jersey’s hotline is 855-654-6735.

Staff writers Melanie Burney, Erin McCarthy, and Oona Goodin-Smith contributed to this article.