A sign near Old Main at the University of Arizona reminds students, staff and visitors to wear a mask.

 Photos by Josh Galemore / Arizona Daily Star

The UA is reminding students to avoid large gatherings as a way to reduce the spread of COVID-19 on campus.

On Monday, University of Arizona officials said its Campus Area Response Team, which works with Tucson police and other city departments to respond to complaints about large gatherings, had broken up seven off-campus parties last week.

Four of the parties had under 20 people in attendance, while the other three had anywhere from 50 to 99 people attending, said Dr. Richard Carmona, leader of UA’s reentry task force.

“That is dangerous,” Carmona said of the parties. “We cannot allow this to happen.”

Students found at these gatherings could face disciplinary measures through the school’s Dean of Students.

Pima County healthcare workers get the COVID-19 vaccine at a drive-through clinic at Banner University Medicine in Tucson on Dec. 17, 2020. The other vaccination site is Tucson Medical Center. Video by Rebecca Sasnett / Arizona Daily Star

School officials said they consistently remind students to stay away from large gatherings, which could become so-called “super spreader” events of the virus.

Carmona said while the seven parties were concerning, officials were optimistic that the majority of UA students are heeding the warnings about gatherings.

President Robert C. Robbins said the school will remain with limited in-person classes through at least next week. He said Arizona remains a hot spot for the coronavirus and that changes to the in-person class schedule won’t occur until rates decline. About 3,800 students attend classes in person, the rest are online only.

Between Jan. 18-24, the university administered 8,337 COVID-19 tests with 168 positives, for a positivity rate just over 2% — slightly higher than the previous week’s rate of 1.8%, Robbins said.

Forty students who had tested positive for the virus were in isolation dorm rooms, he said. Students who live on campus are tested for the virus two times a week.

On the vaccine front, the UA administered near 1,300 Pfizer vaccines last week. The school is a vaccine distribution site with walk-in and drive-through locations, primarily for employees and other higher-education personnel, child care workers and K-12 teachers and staff. Registration for the vaccines given at the UA are handled by the Pima County Health Department.

Robbins said he knows more people want to get the vaccines, but the school’s two sites are limited in the number of shots they can give out. “Be patient with us,” he said. Robbins said only one-third of the vaccines the university site receives will go to UA employees.

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