Off-campus UConn party with 150-200 maskless revelers sparks fear of more coronavirus superspreader

Off-campus UConn party with 150-200 maskless revelers sparks fear of more coronavirus superspreader gatherings as weather turns warm


After state troopers shut down an off-campus party of 150-200 maskless UConn students over the weekend, Mansfield locals worry the spring season may lead to more coronavirus superspreader gatherings in residential neighborhoods.

Mansfield community members have struggled for years with noisy, large parties held by students renting houses in neighborhoods populated primarily with families and senior citizens. In the past, party sizes could grow to about 10,000 students, Mansfield Mayor Toni Moran said. But over the last five years, collaborative action taken by UConn, the town and the state police ended the “potentially catastrophic parties on spring weekends” of that size.

“Since then, what we have seen are parties that range between 150 and sometimes as high as 1,000 when the weather is good,” she said. “If we receive a complaint about them they are very quickly shut down. Our ordinances prevent students from being a nuisance in their neighborhood.”

With the coronavirus pandemic, however, “it’s a whole different issue,” Moran said.

Read more: https://www.courant.com/coronavirus/hc-news-coronavirus-uconn-party-off-campus-20210308-p6f76n7lbnbbtftmcw4hdszvbe-story.html