Chancellor announces sharp drop in COVID cases on UT Knoxville campus

Two weeks after hitting an all-time high of nearly 700 cases, University of Tennessee Chancellor Donde Plowman says the latest virus statistics are encouraging.

Plowman announced Tuesday that the Knoxville campus has 178 confirmed COVID cases including 166 students and 12 employees while 196 people have recovered.

The sharp drop comes after Plowman instituted strict guidelines on portions of campus life including changes with class time, modeling campus cafeterias for take-out only, and imposing restrictions on visitor policies in dorms and Greek houses.

UT Student Health Director Dr. Spencer Gregg says the drop in cases could be short-lived as testing expands campus-wide. He predicts that will show virus numbers going up.

“By knowing where the rates are highest, we can then focus our resources such as education and targeted testing on the areas that have the greatest need,” Gregg said.

Plowman noted that 849 students remain in quarantine or isolation due to possible exposure.