Orange County has seen a major spike in the number of new coronavirus cases.

Data from North Carolina Health and Human Services shows that the county has reported 304 new COVID-19 cases this week, bringing the cumulative total to 1,734.

Orange County reported 48 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, which at the time was a single-day record for the county since the start of the pandemic. However, Thursday and Friday each saw over 80 cases reported.

The age range for cases has also seen an update.

As of Friday, 34 percent of cases are within the 18-24 age range, the most within the county. The 24-49 age range had previously been the highest earlier in the week.

This spike in the number of cases comes after UNC announced that it will transition undergraduate classes online due to the spread of COVID-19 on campus. The university reported that 130 students tested positive for coronavirus last week — the first week of classes for the fall semester.

Four COVID-19 clusters were identified around UNC’s campus over the weekend: three in residence halls and another at the Sigma Nu fraternity house. The university has since confirmed that over 100 coronavirus cases are at Granville Towers, one of the residence halls to report a cluster.

Additionally, the university confirmed on Monday that 349 students are currently in quarantine, both on and off campus.

UNC students are only counted towards the total number of cases in Orange County if their permanent address is listed within the county. Otherwise, the state’s data spreads out their positive case to whichever respective county they list as home.

Elected officials from Chapel Hill and Orange County have expressed their concern about the university’s plan for reopening the campus to thousands of students. The Chapel Hill Town Council sent a letter to UNC System and UNC-Chapel Hill leadership on Monday requesting that the Board of Governors allow chancellors to decide whether to continue with reopening on their individual campuses.

“On behalf of the entire Chapel Hill community, we are writing to express our continued concerns regarding the toll that the re-opening of the UNC campus is having on the health, safety and overall well-being of our entire community,” the letter reads. “If not addressed immediately, this situation will have irreversible and lasting repercussions.”

The letter references the four recent clusters as well as numerous off-campus parties and gatherings that show “disregard for the University’s Community Standards as well as state and local laws.”

In response to these off-campus gatherings, Chapel Hill Police said “there won’t be another warning” for people who are found violating North Carolina’s executive order a second time.

“That is a misdemeanor charge – it is a criminal violation,” said Chapel Hill Police Chief Chris Blue about a violation of the executive order. “We don’t take that lightly, which is part of why we are not issuing them on our first visit.”

Keep up-to-date with the latest news and information about COVID-19 in Orange County and at UNC with our ongoing tracker.

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