The University of Vermont announced Friday that all students will be tested for Covid-19 before returning to campus in the fall, a protocol the school said is among the “most extensive” in the country.
UVM officials say the university also plans to provide weekly testing for the first three weeks of the semester, and will then determine a testing schedule for the rest of the semester based on both medical and public health analysis of the initial testing.
UVM spokesman Enrique Corredera said the university expects to conduct 11-12,000 tests each week. The university will cover the costs.
According to a press release issued Friday, all students will be expected to get tested before they arrive on campus. For those travelling to Burlington, that process will begin at least five days before they initiate travel, and for those already in town, no later than Aug. 26.
The university has an agreement with a company called Vault Health to provide the pre-arrival testing, which will take the form of a saliva test kit shipped to students’ homes. Students will self-administer the test, guided by a Vault specialist via Zoom.
All students — undergraduate, graduate, non-degree and medical — who will be either living or taking classes on campus in the fall will be required to complete the testing. Those who test positive are expected to remain in isolation at home for 10 days.
University officials said the pre-arrival testing, however, does not supplant Vermont’s existing quarantine requirements. UVM has an online tool to help students determine quarantine requirements for before and after travelling to Vermont based on individual circumstances.
Then, another round of testing will happen when students arrive on campus. Students moving into residence halls will be tested upon arrival back to campus, while those living off campus will get tested on the first day of classes. After seven days, students will be tested again, and then weekly through Sept. 18.
Testing during the semester will be done through an agreement between the university and the Broad Institute, a collaborative research lab between Harvard and MIT. Broad will supply the test kits, and UVM will conduct the tests and ship the samples to Broad for analysis.
UVM employees working on campus will also have access to the testing, which will be provided free of charge.
Both Vault and Broad use PCR testing, the method used by the Vermont Department of Health. Corredera said the cost will be about $1.3 million for Vault Health and $1.5 million for the Broad Institute through Sept. 18. Additional costs, he noted, will depend on frequency of testing thereafter.
UVM officials say “serious consequences” will be imposed for students who fail to adhere to testing protocol, including the loss of CATcard campus access privileges.
In addition to the university’s testing strategy, there will also be mask-wearing requirements on campus, social distancing measures, a mix of online and in-person classes, and other measures to try to curb the virus’ spread.
While some students and community members worry the guidelines won’t be followed, the university’s president is confident.
In June, few students showed up for voluntary testing.
Last week, the union representing the faculty union announced that it would withdraw an unfair labor practice complaint against the university after administrators agreed to engage in bargaining over matters related to Covid-19 and the fall semester.
“I am confident that these strategies will enable UVM to offer a high-quality education in a safe and productive work setting for faculty and staff,” President Suresh Garimella said in a statement. “All of our decisions are informed by advice from medical and public health experts, and meet, and in many cases exceed, state and federal regulations to ensure the safety and well-being of members of the campus and surrounding communities.”
