The Harvey County Health Department has confirmed a cluster of COVID-19 cases on the campus of Bethel College in North Newton.

The cluster has 46 confirmed cases, with 482 people who have been tested.  Some test results are still pending.

The cases were identified through precautionary testing conducted by the college.  All students, faculty, staff and administrators were required to be tested, and the college has also had daily temperature checks along with health monitoring through a self-screening app.   The college has also required face masks indoors and outdoors on the campus.

The people who tested positive have been able to self-isolate on campus or at their home.  The college said they are generally in good health and good spirits.   The college has an emergency response team that will monitor the situation and follow up on close contacts.

Some of the cases involve people who live outside the county or outside the state of Kansas, but they are included in Harvey County statistics because the county is their current place of residence.