Bates extends student lockdown after reported parties trigger spike in COVID-19 quarantines Three parties in late March caused 129 students to quarantine after close contact with a person with COVID-19, officials said Monday. Author: Beth Brogan (NEWS CENTER Maine), Erin Keller (NEWS CENTER Maine) Published: 4:43 PM EDT April 6, 2021 Updated: 4:43 PM EDT April 6, 2021 LEWISTON, Maine — The in-room student restriction at Bates College has been extended to April 11 due to reported gatherings that have spiked the number of students in quarantine. Bates College vice president for campus life Joshua McIntosh sent a new letter to students saying the college is aware of three social gatherings, two on-campus and one off-campus, all likely to be unmasked, that took place on March 26 and 27. Contract tracing has led them to believe that these events are the common source of many of the infections and that partygoers then transmitted the virus to other people.