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Syracuse University will test students in groups for the coronavirus when they return to campus in August, university officials announced Monday.

The university will use pooled saliva testing, which combines samples from several individuals, to narrow down potential cases of the virus, vice chancellors Mike Haynie and John Liu said in an SU News release. 

Students in any pool that tests positive will take a second COVID-19 test to determine whether they have the virus.

“We are all working together to deliver for our students—as practical and allowable given health guidance—a residential academic experience for the fall,” Haynie and Liu said.

Residential instruction at SU will resume on Aug. 24, with in-person classes ending before Thanksgiving. The university will test students for COVID-19 again two weeks after arriving on campus, in addition to random testing conducted throughout the fall semester, Haynie and Liu said.

The Barnes Center at the Arch will also test symptomatic students in partnership with outside laboratories. 

SU will move students who test positive for COVID-19 to isolation housing, where they will remain until testing negative for the virus. Students in isolation will have access to a private bathroom and a case manager to support their academic and health needs, Liu and Haynie said. 

The release did not specify which facilities SU would use to isolate infected students. 

SU will prohibit visitors from outside the central New York area from entering most university facilities, Haynie and Liu said. The university will implement “robust” sanitation procedures to ensure that all spaces are clean, and will reduce available seating in public spaces, they said.

Students will commit to a “social compact statement” outlining the university’s expected health behaviors before the semester starts, Haynie and Liu said. Any students who violates the commitment will face consequences similar to violating the SU’s Code of Student Conduct.  

Faculty from the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics have developed a wastewater surveillance program that will allow the university to monitor residence halls and athletic facilities for COVID-19 cases. The residents of any SU residence hall who exhibits traces of the virus will receive testing, Haynie and Liu said.

The university will also work with the Onondaga County Department of Health to hire and train a contact tracing team. SU will also limit passenger capacities and install hand sanitizer dispensers on trolleys and other university-sponsored transportation. 

“We are committed to identifying, creating and implementing health and safety policies and protocols that support a safe, healthy and academically meaningful campus experience in the fall,” Haynie and Liu said. 

Published on June 8, 2020 at 8:30 pm

Contact Mira: mlberenb@syr.edu