Smattering of COVID cases pop up on campuses as Washington colleges prepare for fall term

COVID-19 flare-ups on college campuses across the nation are disrupting the start of fall term, but in Washington — where most colleges are on the quarter system and don’t start classes until late September — the quads are largely empty, and cases have been few and far between.

Four of Washington’s five public universities and one college, The Evergreen State College, are all planning to teach remotely this fall. Many are keeping dorms open for students who need to live on campus, but university presidents have encouraged students to say home, if they can, and study from there.

A month after an outbreak of at least 154 COVID-19 cases at the University of Washington’s Greek Row, the state’s flagship school is experiencing just a handful of cases — one every day or so.