Outbreaks among young people drop as students prepare to return to campus

Late breaking, this is kezi 9 news at 6" there are more than 50 outbreaks across lane county, but now just a tiny fraction of those involve college-age people.

That a big difference from a couple months when health officials pointed to parties as the source of dozens of cases.

Thank you for joining us i'm chynna greene in for matt and renee.

Kezi 9 news reporter jacob roberts is live from the unversity of oregon campus tonight with reaction from students and the university.

Health officials say the college-age outbreak category is considered inactive.

It accounts for just four percent of outbreaks.

But students i spoke with were surprised by that, and worry that when winter term starts, things could change.

It wasn long ago we reported of big parties near campus.

One halloween party started with six cases, then caused 14 more cases which then led to a workplace outbreak and even more cases.

Later there was a massive party with hundreds in attendance, and police had to break it up.

But now, health officials say things are changing.

Soon, there might be no outbreaks tied to college aged people.

The university told me expanded testing and an improved contact tracing are some of the reasons for the declining numbers.

Marissa mcdaniel/ senior, university of oregon :14?i think it really hard to keep college students in check.

Theye adults they should just want to do that themselves, but i don know.

There only so much the university can do and i appreciate what theye been trying to d?

Classes resume on monday, but with a twist.

The first week will be entirely remote with no in-person instruction.

The school says this will give time for students to quarantine and get tested after returning to campus.

U-o says residence halls reopen this saturday.

Everyone living in them will be tested by next tuesday.

In the past two weeks, just 12 students have tested positive.

All of them live off campus.

Live in eugene,