Author: Sam Buisman

Early move-in begins for UW-Madison students living in the dorms as COVID-19 continues to spread across the city. 

Starting Saturday and continuing into Tuesday, UW-Madison students from Wisconsin and certain neighboring states began to drop off belongings at their dorms in an early move-in plan offered by the UW to reduce crowds later in the month. However, these students are beginning their return to Madison as COVID-19 cases continue to climb within the area, with 4,844 cases confirmed in Dane County as of Sunday. 

Additionally, many UW students living in private housing moved back into or around Madison over the weekend as well, as many campus-area lenders time their property leases to expire around Aug. 15. 

The beginning influx of out-of-towners to Dane County may complicate the efforts of city officials to curb the spread of COVID-19 at a time when cases are still rising in the area. 

The UW-Madison plans to implement a number of other safety precautions to protect student residents from COVID-19 during the actual move-in over Aug. 25 to 31, including scheduled move-in times, designated building entry points and limited contact with housing faculty.