Nearly 150 Stanford students with Covid isolate on first day of winter quarter

At the start of Stanford University’s winter quarter Monday, 146 students who had tested positive for Covid-19 were isolating in student housing.

Most of the students had tested positive with rapid tests, according to Stanford, and others had remained on campus over the holiday break and tested positive prior to the weekend. The university provided rapid tests for all newly arriving students and asked all students traveling to take one upon their return.

“As we had planned and expected, rapid testing is allowing us to quickly identify Covid-positive cases as students return to campus,” Stanford health officials said in a health alert Monday evening.

Anticipating a surge in Covid cases, Stanford — along with several other California universities — opted to hold the first two weeks of the winter quarter online. In-person classes will begin Jan. 18, meaning the students currently in isolation will be able to attend those classes.