Since the pre-departure COVID testing plans were announced, University Health Service (UHS) has been able to expand its testing capabilities by securing needed rapid test kits.
Now, all residential undergraduate students on River Campus and at the Eastman School of Music will be required to get COVID tested before departing from campus for the semester.
This new component of UHS’s testing program is an addition to the previously announced optional testing program, which includes graduate students, off-campus undergraduates, and international students with specific testing requirements.
Here are the new details:
- UHS will test all undergraduate residential students between Monday, Nov. 16 and Wednesday, Nov. 25 using rapid COVID test kits that use a nasal swab and deliver results in 15 minutes. If a student’s test comes back positive, UHS will confirm the result with a follow-up COVID-19 RT-PCR test, with results back in 48-72 hours. All rapid test positive cases will need to isolate until the results of the RT-PCR test come back. For students who remain on campus as of December 1 but plan to leave in the coming weeks, reference this guidance.
- Undergraduate residential students need to schedule their testing slot through UHS’s online sign-up sheet. The following link will be available at noon, Friday, Nov. 13 to start making these rapid test appointments: http://www.rochester.edu/uhs/pre-travel-testing-scheduling/. There’s no cost for the test.
- Undergraduate residential students who have already signed up for an optional departure test should keep that appointment and not make another one; if an appointment has not yet been made online, they are asked to follow the rapid testing process.
- All of the rapid testing will be completed in the Goergen Athletic Center Field House, with additional testing tables set up at the Eastman School of Music on specific dates. Signage will direct students through the process.
- International students who have a requirement to receive a specific COVID test before departure need to continue to work through the previously announced process to fulfill their testing requirements; international residential undergraduates who do not have specific testing requirements outlined by their home country should follow the new rapid test process.
Other than the changes above, the following plans and protocols remain the same and will proceed as scheduled for off-campus undergraduates, graduate students, and most international students:
- Options for students traveling within the United States or to an international location that does not have testing requirements prior to travel:
- Click here for instructions for scheduling an appointment. Appointments need to be scheduled online.
- Test results are usually available within 48-72 hours.
- Students will not be charged for pre-travel COVID tests done at UHS.
- Students who are traveling to an international location that requires a specific timeframe for test results:
- Students who need testing completed within a specific timeframe prior to travel to an international location should call UHS at (585) 275-2662 to speak with a nurse. They may need to schedule an appointment at UHS to talk about their specific testing requirements.
- These two websites provide country-specific information:
- https://gowork.ges.deloitte
- https://www.iatatravelcentre.com/world.php (International Air Transport Association)
- Please Note: Some countries may require pre-travel testing to be done at an approved testing site and/or may require a specific blood test that is not available through UHS and may not be available in the Rochester area. UHS staff will do their best to advise students about testing options.
- UHS test results are usually available within 48-72 hours.
- Students will not be charged for pre-travel COVID tests done at UHS.
- If students need assistance with scheduling an appointment within the required timeframe, email UHS at uhscovid19@uhs.rochester.edu.
UHS will not offer testing between November 26-29 due to the Thanksgiving holiday. If students need to be tested during this time period, the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) website for testing sites in the Rochester area is a good resource. Contact the NYSDOH at 1-888-364-3065 or click here to find a test site near you. Testing is free to all eligible New Yorkers; when scheduling your appointment, use your Rochester address. Other testing sites are listed on the NYS test site finder.
If a student’s pre-departure COVID-19 test result is positive, UHS will work with each student on a case-by-case basis to determine how isolation requirements will need to be fulfilled. In some cases, it could mean delaying a student’s travel plans. University quarantine and isolation space will continue to be available.
During this Nov. 16-20 testing timeframe, UHS will need to reduce the amount of random surveillance testing that has been done each week throughout the semester, in order to effectively manage these additional student testing requests and requirements.