U Of A Will Require Students To Get Weekly Coronavirus Tests

TUCSON, AZ — When University of Arizona students return to campus for the spring semester in January, they will have to undergo weekly coronavirus testing.

The university made the announcement at its weekly coronavirus meeting Monday. The requirement will be for students who live in dorms or attend in-person classes on the main campus. Those who don't comply could lose access to the school's WiFi network, President Robert C. Robbins said, though some exemptions will apply.

"Using Wi-Fi access for compliance provides an effective way to focus enforcement," he said in a statement. "Network access is generally necessary to participate in the activities that bring students to campus, such as taking classes, while those students who are not subject to testing requirements because they are not on campus will not be affected by this measure."

Off-campus students who plan on visiting campus to access services like the library or Student Recreation Center will be expected to have taken a diagnostic test in the previous week, Robbins said.

The university will also roll out a new rapid test, which involves swishing and gargling a saline solution, then spitting into a tube. Results for these tests are usually available the same day. The typical nasal swab tests will also be available.

Michael Worobey, head of the U of A Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, said that the new tests are more comfortable and effective than the nasal swabs. They can also be self-administered, which reduces the risk of health care workers being exposed to the virus.

Worobeys said he's found that the swish-gargle test "pulls virus out of about 30 or 35 percent more people than when you test with the nasopharyngeal swab."

The university will be able to conduct 3,000 of these tests per day.

With a vaccine on the horizon, Robbins encouraged the community to stay vigilant and continue to take the virus seriously. The university has reported 152 positive cases in the last 10 days.

"We are months from widespread distribution of the vaccine," he said. "Please do not let up now. There's light at the end of the tunnel, but … we still need to get there together."