The mayor estimates 5,000 Tuscaloosa swarmed to have fun the soccer win amid the coronavirus pandemic

If you’re wondering how big the crowd was on the strip in downtown Tuscaloosa, local outlet WBRC reports that Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox was an estimated 5,000 people in attendance. Of these 5,000, 14 people were arrested. The mayor told the outlet that people should celebrate for a few minutes, but things got out of hand until Tuscaloosa’s police chief used pepper spray to break up the crowd. And again: we are living in a global pandemic and the cases are increasing, especially in the south.

Here are some videos from Twitter for your reference.

Now for this CDC study. The study, published on Friday, compared COVID-19 exposure rates in counties with large colleges and universities that hosted courses in person with those with virtual learning. Surprisingly, COVID-19 cases rose 56% in countries where major colleges taught in person. This spike in cases occurred within three weeks of holding one-on-one classes, most of which occurred in early September, according to the report.

In contrast, the same report found that districts without a large college saw a 5.9% decrease and districts with large schools that were only virtual saw a 17.9% decrease.

The takeaway: The researchers found that districts where colleges gave one-on-one tuition were at least once more likely to be “hotspots” of the virus than districts where colleges offered distance learning. If you look at the footage of the Tuscaloosa win after football, it’s not hard to see why. And to be fair, it’s not just one night of football to blame. There have been reports of virus outbreaks in Greek homes, bars and campuses across the country.

At the very least, we need stricter guidelines on social distancing and face masks because college students (who of course also run the risk of catching the virus and potentially becoming terminally ill) don’t exist in a bubble. These students interact with faculty and staff, and when they’re on the road or going home for breaks, they come into contact with service and transit workers and their own families. Partying feels like sweet relief from a dark year, but the potential cost is nowhere near worth it in the face of a deadly pandemic. After all, doctors in Alabama are expecting another COVID-19 surge in the state as early as mid-January.