Coronavirus cases in young people throughout the U.S are continuously on the rise as many proceed to disobey guidance from health officials during the pandemic. The most recent example shows a large gathering near the University of North Georgia (UNG).
What We Know:
- Despite being a state already riddled with rising coronavirus cases and facing backlash from school reopenings, that didn’t stop this north Georgia College from partying it up. UNG students were discovered having a large outdoor party over the weekend, disregarding health guidelines.
- Videos posted to social media show the mass gathering, with most not wearing masks or respecting social distancing, while dancing to music and drinking outside an apartment complex.
First night back at University of North Georgia in Dahlonega. 😳😳 pic.twitter.com/VAmZ2TLvuz
— Everything Georgia (@GAFollowers) August 16, 2020
- There is currently no statewide mask mandate for Georgia, but Gov. Brian Kemp has recently signed a new executive order which states that it is up to local governments on whether to enforce guidelines or not.
- In an email statement to students acquired by one of our own, the Office of the President for UNG noted they found out about the party soon after it occurred the following day. “Many students attended a large outdoor party at a privately-owned, off-campus apartment complex located near UNG’s Dahlonega Campus last night.”
“We are disappointed that these individuals chose to ignore COVID-19 public health guidance,” read the statement.
- According to the Georgia Department of Public Health website, residents between the ages of 18 to 29 account for 23% of all the cases in Georgia. That’s the highest number of coronavirus cases of any other age group in the state.
- As of Sunday, there have been over 1,800 new cases and more than 30 new deaths statewide, pushing the current totals to 237,030 cases and 4,702 deaths since the beginning of the outbreak in Georgia.
The Dahlonega campus is located in Lumpkin County, GA, and holds roughly 417 of those cases, over 100 of which that’s were just within the past two weeks. Other website statistics reveal nine deaths and 62 hospitalizations at the moment for the county.
