Hunter
08/04/20
The University of Iowa announced Monday that they will not be testing students for COVID-19 upon their return to campus, and laid out guidelines as to when they would be eligible to get a test.
Citing information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that states for higher-education institutes, entry testing of all students is not recommended, the University is instead focusing on prevention.
The Daily Iowan reports that students will be eligible for a test if they show symptoms, or are asymptomatic but have a known exposure to a positive case. UI Student health will coordinate with the Johnson County Department of Public Health to assist with testing, contact tracing, and isolation of students who are either diagnosed or exposed to coronavirus, according to the email.
The email also provided information on how personal protective equipment kits will be distributed. The kits will include two cloth face masks, two disposable masks, one face shield, and a bottle of hand sanitizer. Students in residence halls will be provided with their kits as they move in, but off campus students will have 20 times and locations to choose from to pick up their kits between Monday August 10th and Friday August 28th.
Elsewhere in the state, ISU has announced that they will test every student living in the residence halls before they move in. UNI says testing will be available on campus for students who have symptoms or have been exposed to a person with a known positive case.