Students cautioned as Western declares sixth residence outbreak
Outbreak at Essex Hall has led to 6 students testing positive for COVID-19
The Middlesex-London Health Unit has confirmed a COVID-19 outbreak at Western University's Essex Hall, bringing the number of active outbreaks at the university to six.
In an email sent to students Sunday, the university said six students living at Essex Hall have tested positive for COVID-19, prompting the health unit to declare an outbreak.
It comes less than a week after a separate COVID-19 outbreak at the same student residence was declared over.
In its email, the university said all positive cases have been moved outside the residence for isolation.
Close contacts of those cases will be contacted by the health unit.
Western is encouraging residence students to move home early if possible, then quarantine for 14 days.
In its email, the university said students should also limit their contacts because variants of concern are making younger people sick, and are much more transmissible.
The new outbreak at Essex Hall is one of five active outbreaks at Western campus residences.