New York Post – by Lia Eustachewich
SUNY students, get ready for turkey and stuffing — a swab up your nose!
All students of New York’s public university system will be required to undergo COVID-19 testing — and receive negative results — before heading home for Thanksgiving.
The new policy, under which some 140,000 students will be tested, was announced Tuesday by Chancellor Jim Malatras, who stressed safety first.
“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,” said Malatras in a statement. “While we understand there is a lot of focus on plans for the spring semester, we must first finish this semester safely.”
All of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities must come up with plans by Nov. 5 on how to test the entire student population within 10 days before Thanksgiving break.
The new policy applies to all students who are taking at least one class on campus, working on campus or using on-campus services including the gymnasium, library or dining hall.
SUNY will require colleges to isolate or quarantine any residential student who tests positive or has been exposed to COVID-19 in the last 14 days before Thanksgiving break.
Testing is also recommended for faculty and staff.
The move comes as SUNY officials plan to transition most colleges to 100 percent remote learning after Turkey Day, with residential facilities shutting down.
“This new testing mandate is designed to ensure that transition happens safely,” SUNY said in an announcement.
SUNY has yet to announce its coronavirus policy for the upcoming spring semester.
Most of its schools didn’t require students to get tested before returning to campus in August, including SUNY Oneonta, which canceled in-person classes in September after off-campus parties sparked an outbreak. The university of about 6,000 in Otsego County has estimated more than 720 cases.
The outbreak led to the resignation of its president Barbara Jean Morris.
SUNY Geneseo barred students from arriving on campus if they didn’t submit a negative COVID-19 test between seven to 14 days ahead of arrival on campus. That university, in the Finger Lakes region, reported 48 cases among its 6,000 students this fall.
Malatras, who was named SUNY’s chancellor on Aug. 21, said he didn’t know why the state’s college system didn’t require all students to undergo coronavirus testing before returning this fall.
“It’s hard for me to know because I wasn’t here for approval of those plans,” he told the AP.
He’s since required every campus to conduct regular surveillance testing, though said accessing testing was a challenge.
Malatras also indicated that SUNY could require students to get tested before returning to campus after fall semester. The system is still finalizing plans for its spring semester, he said.
‘The move comes as SUNY officials plan to transition most colleges to 100 percent remote learning after Turkey Day, with residential facilities shutting down.’
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