Testing and Contact Tracing

Quarantine separates and restricts the movement of people who were exposed to a contagious disease to see if they become sick. (Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.)

Isolation separates sick people with a contagious disease from people who are not sick. (Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.)

We have a process in place to test you for COVID-19 within 24 hours of your campus arrival, and you will be assigned a test time based on your move-in slot. We will be testing from Noon until 8 p.m. on August 15-20; those moving in after 8 p.m. will be tested the following day. Faculty, staff, and the small number of students who remained on campus over the summer will be tested a few days prior to this. RAs and JCs will be tested on August 9.

We will be conducting a second round of tests beginning the 15th day after your first test. This second round of testing will complete the “baseline” testing for fall semester. The College will cover the costs of testing.

The College has partnered with Mayo Clinic and will be using Mayo’s PCR nasal swab. The swab will be administered by a health care professional and a sample will be gently taken from your nasal cavity. That means we’re using short swabs, not the long version that goes into your sinus cavity.

Testing will be conducted in the air-conditioned Skoglund Gymnasium. We anticipate having results in 48-72 hours from Mayo and will be concentrating on informing anyone who tests positive first so they can be isolated. If your test is positive, we will be calling you directly to work through next steps. If your test is negative, you will receive an email letting you know.

Testing is not optional. All students, faculty, and staff returning to campus must be tested. Even if you have been tested before or have tested positive for antibodies, you must participate in the college’s baseline testing process.

All students will be expected to quarantine on campus until the college has completed its baseline testing process and received the results (anticipated to take slightly over two weeks). Students will not be permitted to leave campus during this period of time. They will be permitted to attend classes and other activities as long as they observe physical distancing, face covering, hand hygiene and other health and safety guidelines.

From the time you arrive to the time we receive the results from the second round of testing, you will need to stay on campus and remain within your residence hall “family,” limiting yourself to attending class, meals, and other essential activities. Students living off campus will need to limit their activities to their residence and campus. During this time, it is critical that you adhere strictly to the prevention measures (e.g., physical distancing, face coverings, etc.) outlined in our Community Standards. We expect that we will have some positive test results in our baseline testing; until those cases are identified and the student moves to isolation to recover, we need to take reasonable steps to mitigate the transmission of the virus on campus.

The College will conduct ongoing, randomized testing throughout the semester. Each week, 2 percent of the College’s students, faculty, and staff will be tested. Individuals may receive an email at some point asking them to participate in one of these tests. Randomized testing reduces the chances of an outbreak by testing asymptomatic individuals who wouldn’t otherwise know they are infected. The College will also cover the costs of these tests.

Positive cases will be reported weekly on the College’s COVID-19 website.

Those in close contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19 will be required to quarantine for two weeks. As appropriate, this can be within your room on campus, a designated space on campus, or at your home (if, as stated above, it is within regional driving distance and your family composition and home layout are conducive to quarantine). Close contact is defined by the Minnesota Department of Health as contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case within six feet for more than 15 minutes.

The college has reserved three Honor Houses where students who test positive for COVID-19 will isolate. Students will be transported to the house with the items they need for isolation (clothing, toiletries, study materials), and the college will bring meals to the house for them. Students who have recently had close contact with a person with COVID-19 should stay in their living quarters and monitor their health. Meals may be picked up by roommates or friends at Bon Appetit.