A group of college students in Ohio, at least some of whom tested positive for COVID-19, was caught on a police body camera breaking quarantine and hosting a Labor Day house party, according to multiple reports. One said he tested positive a week earlier.
Police body camera footage shows an Oxford, Ohio, officer pulling up to the house and learning that there were as many as 20 people inside, most of whom did not live there. Oxford is the home of Miami University.
After telling the party to clear out, the officer checked the license of one of the residents.
"I've never seen this before. There's an input on the computer that you tested positive for COVID?" the officer asked. The student confirmed it and said he'd been diagnosed a week earlier.
When asked if anyone else in the house had COVID-19, the student pointed back to the porch where several men were seated and said, "They all do." He also appeared to indicate a couple people living across the street had COVID-19 as well.
"Gosh," the officer is heard murmuring. "This is what we're trying to prevent, man. We want to keep this town open."
When the officer said the student was supposed to quarantine, the student said that's why he was home.
"You're not quarantining if you're mixing with other people," the officer said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says people with COVID-19, even those who show no symptoms, may be contagious for two weeks. They are advised to quarantine and limit contact with other people.
The men indicated some of the people who had shown up were just passing by and joined the party.
WKRC in Cincinnati reports six people -- five residents and a visitor -- were fined $500 for violating an ordinance. WKRC reached out to the men for comment, but did not get one.
CBS News reports the university would not comment on an individual case, but said its code of student conduct states students can face suspension or dismissal for such violations.
Universities across the country have struggled to stay open as they attempt to keep COVID-19 from spreading on campus. Some have already sent students home and switched to online learning.
Miami University announced this week it was pushing ahead with plans to start in-person classes on Sept. 21. WXIX reports the university says more than 1,000 students tested positive for COVID-19 in the past two weeks.
The coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most but can be more severe or fatal for some, especially older adults and those with underlying health conditions.