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Syracuse University’s coronavirus testing strategy will begin transitioning away from repeated testing of all students to large-scale randomized testing, a university official said Tuesday. 

The new testing protocol — which SU will outline in greater detail in future communications — also allows for SU staff and faculty to take part in pooled salvia testing, Vice Chancellor Mike Haynie said in a campus-wide email. Despite the new testing format, the university will conduct another round of testing of all students in late October and again before the end of in-person classes on Nov. 24, Haynie said.

The testing round before the end of the semester is intended to ensure the safety of students’ families after they return home, he said. 

“We plan this testing to safeguard the families of our students — and the communities our students call home — by ensuring that COVID-positive students are not unknowingly leaving our campus and putting others at risk,” Haynie said. 

Saliva testing stations, which are currently located on the Quad and Sky Barn on South Campus, will now be available to students, faculty and staff every weekday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Haynie said. SU also plans to open a permanent indoor testing location in the Carrier Dome, he said. 

The university will also offer free flu shots to students, faculty and staff starting Oct. 5, he said. Flu shot stations will be available in the Dome and at Sky Barn on South Campus. 

SU requires all students to receive the flu vaccine this year as part of its coronavirus-related health guidelines. The university will share the flu shot clinic schedule and instructions for signing up for a shot in the next few days, Haynie said. 

Haynie also outlined the university’s isolation and quarantine protocols. Students have voiced concerns about the process in recent weeks. 

Students who test positive for COVID-19 are required to isolate for 10 days, Haynie said. While the university has isolation housing in Skyhall, students living off campus can also isolate in their house or apartment, he said. 

Students who are isolated in Skyhall will receive three meals a day from the university and they can have outside food delivered to the isolation housing between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m., Haynie said. They can also schedule outdoor time in a tent located outside Skyhall, he said. 

“Through our testing and contact tracing efforts, as well as our students’ diligence in recognizing and reporting signs and symptoms of COVID-19, Syracuse University has swiftly moved students into isolation and quarantine when needed,” Haynie said. 

If a student comes in close contact with a student who has tested positive for COVID-19, they must quarantine for 14 days, Haynie said. Students can either quarantine in their off-campus residence or at the university’s quarantine housing in the Sheraton Hotel and Conference Center, he said. 

Haynie also encouraged all students to remain in central New York for the rest of the semester and discouraged students’ family and friends living outside the area from visiting campus. 

“I remain proud of the way our community continues to take action — individually and collectively — to keep our students, faculty, staff and neighbors safe and healthy,” Haynie said. “We have learned a lot over the past five weeks, and I deeply appreciate the thoughtful and constructive feedback received from many in our community.”

Published on September 29, 2020 at 7:38 pm

Contact Maggie: mehicks@syr.edu | @maggie_hickss