Thompson Won’t Say When UW Would Close Due to COVID-19

(courtesy: UW System)

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Interim University of Wisconsin President Tommy Thompson says he has a threshold in mind for when campuses will have to shut down due to coronavirus cases, but he’s not saying what it is.

Thompson took questions Friday during an online Milwaukee Press Club event.

Thompson says hasn’t told anyone what the threshold for shuttering a campus will be.

“I’m not going to tell you … what my plans are as far as incidents and so on, but you can rest assured I’m looking at all of the data on a daily basis,” he said.

UW students are returning to campus this month as other colleges across the country have seen spikes in coronavirus cases that have led to sending students home.

Thompson says the limits for keeping the campus open are “in my head.”

Thompson said he was consulting with health professionals on a regular basis and he was confident that UW’s policies will be able to deal with outbreaks. But he stressed that what happens is largely up to how students behave. Classes on UW campuses, including the flagship Madison campus, resume in September.

“My message to students: ‘This is up to you,’” Thompson said. “You can go back and live in mom and dad’s basement, or you can stay at Madison or Milwaukee or Platteville, it’s up to you.”