Spring Semester Testing Program

With the rise in COVID cases and the Omicron variant, USD has decided to augment and increase its campus COVID testing for the beginning of the spring semester until cases in San Diego County decline significantly. USD will continue its partnership with PLNU that was used to weekly test exempt students and employees in the fall.

All students returning to campus housing must present a negative COVID test result taken within 96 hours before their return campus. All exempt students and employees who will be on campus will be tested weekly.

All students moving into resident housing (Jan. 24-26) must present a negative COVID test taken within 96 hours before their arrival to campus. Additionally, at check-in students will be required to take another COVID test through the Affinity program. Students must register prior to testing. Those instructions will be available Jan. 21st. Testing will take place from 9am-5pm adjacent to resident check-in on Monday through Wednesday. Students who do not test will be restricted from entering their room. The School of Nursing will have their own station throughout the semester managed by Nursing located in BINR. These tests will be a self-swab.

In preparation for on-campus instruction commencing on Feb. 7^th, all commuter students are required to register for the Affinity testing program and come to campus for a drive-through COVID test offered Monday through Friday (Jan. 31- Feb. 4) from 8:30AM – 5PM. These tests will be conducted in the Main and West parking garages (those without cars may walk up to the site). Signage will direct students to the testing sites. Students must register both the date and time they will come to campus for this test in order to facilitate a smooth process. Students who do not test will be placed on Interim Suspension and will not be allowed to come to campus until they have received and uploaded a certified negative COVID test taken within 96 hours of Feb. 7^th. More detailed information on how to register will be sent the week of Jan. 24^th. The tests will be administered.

Beginning Feb. 7^th, and continuing until San Diego County COVID rates drop significantly, random testing of the entire campus community will commence at multiple locations on the campus (UC/SLP, Maher Hall Foyer, Mother Rosalie Hill Hall Foyer and Mata’yuum Crossroads). Individuals will be notified via email that they have been selected to participate in this random testing on Thursday of the week before they are to test. At that time, participants must register for the test and schedule their test site, day and time for the following week (M-W testing). We will be testing 20-25% of the campus community on a weekly basis during this time. Those students who are selected and do not schedule an appointment or get their test will be placed on Interim Suspension. Employees who are selected and do not schedule an appointment or get their test will face disciplinary action, up to and including unpaid leave until the employee is in compliance. These tests will be self-swab.