White house coronavirus response coordinator Doctor Deborah Birx was in Knoxville Tuesday morning, discussing the increasing case count at the University of Tennessee
The university shows a total of 645 cases, including 630 students and 15 employees (as of Tuesday, September 15, 2020).
Birx says students need to understand it's their responsibility to not participate in super-spreader events. She also talked about possibly testing students before Thanksgiving break to ensure they don't bring the virus home.
As for SEC football, Birx is confident that students understand what is needed to mitigate the virus, but she's worried about what will happened when alumni and parents come to the games.
"I know those parents and alumni will be excited about seeing each other because they haven't seen each other for the last six or seven months, “ said Birx. "Really figuring out how we physically distant while maintaining social activities and being able to find places where that can happen."