If you have been following our COVID-19 dashboard, you will have noticed an uptick primarily in non-residential students testing positive over the past week. The timing suggests that such an increase is most likely the result of social interaction off campus over the Labor Day holiday—a conclusion reinforced by our contact tracing. While the increase is concerning, we had anticipated and planned for this possibility and have already taken steps to proactively reach out to and test students over the past weekend wherever we have identified patterns of possible concentration of cases.
Testing, tracing, and tracking help us to keep everyone safe. Here are three crucial ways we are doing so starting today:
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Mandatory biweekly (every two weeks) testing of all students who come to the Coral Gables and Marine campuses for any reason for the remainder of the semester. More detailed information is available at our FAQs on student testing.
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Residential students have received both email and text notifications with instructions on scheduling their on-campus test this week. Testing appointments are available on designated days determined by your residential building. Please schedule your appointment immediately and be sure to attend at the appointed time you selected. Residential students who do not comply with testing requirements will lose access to the Daily Symptom Checker, CaneLink, and Blackboard. Additionally, you may be subject to disciplinary action, including, but not limited to, removal from on-campus housing.
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Non-residential students have received information on ordering their easy-to-use home testing kit. Orders must be placed by September 15 at 5 p.m., and your specimen must be shipped to LabCorp for processing this week, Monday through Friday and on the same day it is collected. Non-residential students who do not comply with testing requirements will lose access to the Daily Symptom Checker, CaneLink, and Blackboard, and will not be permitted on the Coral Gables or Marine campuses and may be subject to disciplinary action.
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Randomized testing of faculty and staff on campus. If selected, your participation is essential to tracking any potential community spread.
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Faculty and staff currently working in person on the Coral Gables and Marine campuses and who are concerned they may have been exposed can contact the University’s COVID-19 hotline at 305-243-ONE-U to request testing.
Anyone who tests positive will be quickly notified, required to isolate, and contact tracing will be initiated. Be assured that we have sufficient capacity for isolating residential students who are positive and quarantining those identified as close contacts.
Now more than ever, we must stay the course by following the practices that have been shown to keep ourselves and others safe: correct and consistent use of facial coverings, physical distancing, and cleaning and disinfecting. It’s also important to stay informed—for the latest information, visit coronavirus.miami.edu.
Be safe, stay well. |
Roy E. Weiss, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor of Medicine
Chair, Department of Medicine
Chief Medical Officer for COVID-19
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