Liberty University student tests positive for coronavirus after Falwell reopened campus

A Liberty University student has tested positive for coronavirus after the school’s president, Jerry Falwell Jr., reopened the campus.

ABC reports the conservative, evangelical college in Lynchburg, Virginia, welcomed students back last week after spring break despite growing concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic. By Friday, nearly a dozen students were reportedly sick with symptoms of the virus, and on Monday, the school announced one student tested positive for COVID-19.

Lynchburg now has four total cases confirmed, according to the state’s Department of Health. Another Liberty University student tested negative and a third was awaiting results.

Virginia Gov. Gov. Ralph Northam ordered all higher education institutions to halt any in-person instruction on Monday, a move largely aimed at Liberty. According to The New York Times, Falwell had previously resisted shutting down the campus, claiming coronavirus concerns were being exaggerated in an attempt to hurt President Donald Trump politically.

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Article URL : https://www.syracuse.com/coronavirus/2020/03/liberty-university-student-tests-positive-for-coronavirus-after-falwell-reopened-campus.html