USC renting Columbia hotel to house students with COVID-19 as testing stalls, cases rise
COLUMBIA — The University of South Carolina is renting an entire hotel in downtown Columbia to house students quarantined with COVID-19 as case counts continue to rise on campus.
The school, which at more than 1,700 positive cases since Aug. 1 has one of the highest COVID-19 counts of any college in the country, signed a one-month lease with Marriott’s SpringHill Suites, located in the Vista entertainment district near campus.
The cost of the contract was not immediately available but the school will cover the additional dollars rather than passing it on to students, spokesman Jeff Stensland said.
The hotel lease adds 132 rooms available for quarantining students living on campus who have tested positive for COVID-19, said Stacey Bradley, USC’s senior associate vice president for Student Affairs and Academic Support.
Read more: https://www.postandcourier.com/news/usc-renting-columbia-hotel-to-house-students-with-covid-19-as-testing-stalls-cases-rise/article_fd05a180-eee1-11ea-a537-6fc7d10f52bb.html