Just a couple of weeks after students took their final exams, they’ll need to take another test, this one to return to campus.
Franklin College students will be required to produce a negative COVID-19 test result from a sample taken no earlier than six days before their return to campus to join their fellow classmates for the winter and spring semesters.
For students participating in the January term, which begins Jan. 4, their test date must be no earlier than Dec. 28. For students skipping January term and returning for the spring semester, their test date must be no earlier than Jan. 25, according to an email the college sent to students.
Students must not travel to campus until they have a negative test result, and students cannot access the residence halls or attend class until they get a negative result, the email said.
Franklin College gave students a six-day testing window to account for delayed returns on test results. Students can get tests through their local health department or other private testing options, the email said.
College officials will send quarantine instructions to students who get a positive test result. Those students will be able to coordinate with their professors on virtual learning until they return to campus, the email said.
Students who test negative and report those results to the school will have their card access activated, allowing them to return to residence halls. Students who tested positive since Oct. 5 for the winter immersive term and since Nov. 2 for the spring semester will also be able to return without a pre-arrival test, provided they sent their original positive test result documentation.
Students who have received a virtual exception and won’t be on campus for the winter or spring semesters will not be required to take a COVID-19 test, according to the email.
International students and other students who are permitted to stay on campus during the winter break will participate in surveillance testing once the spring semester begins, a random testing strategy the college used during the fall semester and plans to continue using in the spring, Dean of Students Andrew Jones said.
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Students can find COVID-19 testing locations here: https://www.coronavirus.in.gov/2524.htm
Students can upload a screenshot or image of their test result here: https://franklincollege.forms-db.com/view.php?id=16338
Source: Franklin College
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