College towns growing alarmed over outbreaks among students

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — As more and more schools and businesses around the country get the OK to reopen, college towns are moving in the opposite direction because of too much partying and too many COVID-19 infections among students.

With more than 300 students at the University of Missouri testing positive for the coronavirus and an alarming 44% positivity rate for the surrounding county, the local health director Friday ordered bars to stop serving alcohol at 9 p.m. and close by 10 p.m.

Earlier this week, Iowa’s governor ordered all bars shut down around Iowa University and Iowa State, while the mayor of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, did the same in the hometown of the state’s flagship university.

“What we’re seeing in our violations is they’re coming late at night,” said Stephanie Browning, head of the health department for Columbia, Missouri. “Big groups gathering. They’re not wearing their masks, they’re not social distancing.”

In Provo, Utah, the home of Brigham Young University, the Municipal Council passed a mask ordinance over the mayor's veto because of the influx of students from around the country for the start of classes Monday.

The outbreaks since students began returning to campus in the past few weeks have heightened town-gown tensions and led to recriminations between local politicians and university officials.

Meanwhile, California announced a four-tiered, color-coded plan Friday for gradually reopening businesses. It requires counties to meet certain benchmarks showing progress in controlling the virus. Gov. Gavin Newsom abandoned a reopening attempt earlier this summer because of a surge in cases.

In Arizona, another deadly hot spot this summer, a drop in transmission numbers allowed the Phoenix and Tucson areas to reopen gyms and some...