SUNY trying to prevent virus spread by requiring tests before students leave town

Campuses must develop schedules that conduct the test as close to a student’s departure date as possible, SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras announced Oct. 27. In all, SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities will test about 140,000 students over a 10-day period preceding Thanksgiving break, SUNY said. 

SUNY contends that this testing requirement will help prevent community spread as students return to their hometowns. Colleges and universities must submit a plan to test all of their on-campus students within that 10-day window no later than Nov. 5.

All students who are taking at least one class on campus; utilizing on-campus services such as the gym, library, or dining hall; or working on campus must test negative for COVID-19 within 10 days prior to their college closing on-campus instruction and services. 

Antibody tests do not count toward this requirement, SUNY noted.

“As in-person classes and instruction come to a close [in late November], tens of thousands of students will travel across the state and country to be with their families and complete their fall courses remotely,” Malatras said in a statement. “By requiring all students to test negative before leaving, we are implementing a smart, sensible policy that protects students’ families and hometown communities and drastically reduces the chances of COVID-19 community spread. While we understand there is a lot of focus on plans for the spring semester, we must first finish this semester safely.”

Under previously approved, fall-semester plans, most SUNY colleges and universities are set to shift to 100 percent remote learning after Thanksgiving, with residential facilities shutting down, barring exceptions for students “with extenuating circumstances.”