This message is sent on behalf of URI Health Services.

Today we want to remind all students that you are required to get a COVID-19 test by this Saturday, October 17, 2020. Thank you to the thousands of students who have completed their test to date and to the hundreds of faculty and staff who continue to participate in surveillance testing.

As a student you should have or will receive instructions for getting a test but we want you to know that you don’t have to wait to receive the invitation email to come get tested. All students that have not participated in the mandatory testing program since October 5 and still need a COVID-19 test are encouraged to go to one of the following test sites:

• Memorial Union Atrium: October 14-16, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; or Saturday, Oct. 17, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Ryan Center (drive-through testing): October 14-16, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The test is painless and self-collected (a 1/2-inch cotton swab in each nostril, not the nasopharyngeal collection) and observed by a trained University member or RIDOH partner. The test takes about five minutes on average; however, students may have a short wait depending on the time of day and number of people also taking the test.

If a student is ill, or has any COVID-19 symptoms, please do not present for an asymptomatic test. Instead, they should call URI Health Services at 401.874.2246 and we will schedule a test and telehealth visit. If you have received a positive COVID-19 test in the past 90 days you should not be retested — please email the result to health@uri.edu. Students in quarantine can participate in the mandatory testing provided they are well and without symptoms. Students in isolation should not participate in the mandatory testing program until they have completed their isolation period.

For those Greek students that are in a shelter-in-place period, you should still participate in mandatory testing during this time. Additionally, if you are a student that has received an exemption from testing that was approved by Student Affairs or Health Services you do not have to complete the mandatory COVID-19 test.

Thank you to our students for helping us complete this important mandatory testing program. The positivity rate across our community continues to stay at 2.4% and these tests will help our Rhody community stop the spread of the virus and continue our face-to-face classes until Thanksgiving. There continues to be no evidence of transmission of the virus in classrooms or laboratories on our campuses. We strongly encourage our community to keep adhering to the health guidelines in place including limiting social gatherings to a stable pod of 15 people or less, wearing face masks, and maintaining 6 feet of physical distance.