US Fall Semester Opening Nears... COVID-19 Cases Exceed 6 Million

Universities That Started Earlier Face Explosive Spread... Over 1,000 Cases at University of Alabama
Frontline Schools Likely to Struggle with In-Person Classes... Preparing for Online Classes Nationwide

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Ahead of the fall semester starting in September, concerns about the spread of COVID-19 due to in-person classes are growing as the cumulative number of confirmed cases in the United States has surpassed 6 million. Since universities in the U.S. began their semesters two weeks ago, the number of cluster infections has rapidly increased, and most frontline schools are reportedly preparing for online classes.

According to the global statistics site Worldometer, as of the 30th (local time), the cumulative number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the U.S. reached 6,169,211, with a total of 187,194 deaths. Although the spread has slowed compared to last month, the daily number of confirmed cases remains high at 29,841, showing nearly 30,000 new cases per day.

According to CNN, the COVID-19 spread is raging in the central U.S. states such as Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota, raising concerns among parents as the September semester opening approaches. Cluster infections have significantly increased in U.S. college towns that started their semesters two weeks ago.

At the University of Alabama, 1,043 people were infected within two weeks after the semester began on the 19th, and the University of Southern California (USC) reported 43 infections just one week after the fall semester started. Temple University in Pennsylvania also confirmed 103 cases, and more than 100 cluster infections have been reported at the State University of New York.

While U.S. schools are collectively preparing for online classes, this has not been easy. On the 25th, Zoom, an application used nationwide for video classes and meetings, was down for several hours, causing disruptions to the online semester schedules that began that day in U.S. schools.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.