Health officials in McLennan County are expecting to see COVID-19 cases to increase as students head back to class.

Baylor students returned to the classroom Monday for the start of the fall semester, but some of them are questioning how long on campus instruction will last.

“I honestly wasn’t expecting to be back,” senior Prabhjot Thandi said.

“I think it’s very important if we want to stay on campus, we need to follow rules,” Thandi said.

Since an abrupt shift to online instruction in March, the university has been planning for the return of students, all of whom were required to test negative for COVID-19 before they were allowed on campus.

Masks are required and surveillance testing that will begin Monday and continue throughout the semester.

Local officials said Wednesday they hope students take the measures seriously.

“We are going to both need and expect them to follow our guidelines in our community,”

Waco Mayor Kyle Deaver said during a virtual news conference Wednesday.

Deaver said he went to campus this week and almost all the students he saw were following guidelines, but one thing concerns him.

“In the first two days of students returning Baylor has had 89 positive cases of COVID,” he said.

As of Wednesday, Baylor’s COVID-19 dashboard showed an active case count of 184 with 137 positive cases in the last seven days.

And more than two-thirds of the 101 new cases of the virus reported Wednesday in McLennan involved people ranging in age from 18 to 29.

“It is going to be a challenge,” Deaver said.

“Baylor knows it’s going to be a challenge but they are doing everything they can,” he says.

“We have to continue working closely which we already are.”

“I certainly hope they don’t have to shut down classes,” he said.

“I don’t know when or if that will need to take place but have to hope for the best,” he says.

—KWTX