SDSU COVID-19 Surveillance Testing Program
In coordination with the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA), SDSU is facilitating a COVID-19 testing program for undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at San Diego State University. Included in the surveillance testing program is testing for students who reside in on-campus housing, and students attending in-person courses. In addition to education, case-management, community stay-at-home orders, quarantine, and isolation, this testing is part of the university’s multi-pronged Flex strategy to mitigate and monitor the spread of COVID-19. The purpose of this testing program is to allow the university to monitor and address real-time trends and prevalence, and make timely decisions on intervention and response.
This enhanced surveillance testing will begin on Wednesday, September 16, 2020, and establish a baseline of testing for on-campus residential students. The next phase of the surveillance testing will be to establish a baseline for students who attend in-person courses. All students living in SDSU residence halls and apartments, and those limited others attending in-person courses, will be assigned testing schedules at either the Student Health Services Calpulli Center, or the HHSA testing location at the Parma Payne Goodall Alumni Center, 5250 55th St., located just west of Viejas Arena. Students will be notified of their assigned testing window, along with instructions on what to do, via email to their SDSU email address.
As part of this surveillance testing program, students will be tested for COVID-19 regardless of whether they have a known exposure or are showing symptoms of COVID-19. Students will be tested every 14 days. This testing not only allows the university to properly care for our students who test positive for COVID-19, but enables the university to properly care for those they are closest to in the residential communities and those students who are attending in-person courses. It also allows the university to make inferences about the level of spread of the virus in the student population. Students will receive a personalized notification of their scheduled testing timeframes and options for time slot appointments, along with instructions of steps to follow, via their university email address. There will be no direct cost to students participating in the testing at either of the two campus testing sites - Student Health Services and Parma Payne Goodall Alumni Center.
This is a required program, with some exceptions, as noted below. Beyond those exceptions, failure to test as scheduled may result in a directive to quarantine or isolate until testing can be completed and/or the inability to attend in-person courses at SDSU. In addition, students may face possible student disciplinary consequences, including suspension.
As a reminder, when students chose to participate in student housing, they agreed to abide by the terms set forth in the housing license agreement, the COVID-19 Addendum, and the COVID-19 Notice and Disclosure. Students are responsible for their actions within a community and the impact those actions can have on others. Students are asked to continue to be responsible and considerate of their community.
Students who test positive for COVID-19 are not permitted to attend in-person classes until they have completed their isolation period, as defined by HHSA or SHS. Students who test positive will be advised regarding their ongoing testing requirements, based on guidance from the CDC and HHSA.
Students may be eligible to receive an exemption from this testing requirement. An exemption may be requested for the following reason:
If the student has had a positive COVID-19 test within the past 90 days, and has completed their isolation period, the student does not need to be tested again for proof of a negative test. Students can complete the exemption process by uploading test results and/or related documentation into the HealtheConnect portal on the Uploads tab. If appropriate documentation is not provided, testing will be required.
In addition, students may be able to opt-out of this testing for one or more of the following reasons:
- The student has a disability that would physically preclude them from taking the test.
- The student prefers to be tested by another source within three days, before or after their assigned time. This must be a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test. Antigen and antibody tests will not be accepted. Students must share the results with SDSU via HealtheConnect. SDSU will not reimburse for testing completed at alternative facilities.
- The student is currently sick and unable to get to a testing facility. A healthcare provider or university staff member will follow-up to provide appropriate support and directives. Directives of the healthcare provider and university staff member must be followed.
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The student has a sincerely held religious belief.
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The student has another outstanding reason. The student must provide rationale for this reason, which will then be assessed by Student Health Services and/or other university staff.
If the request to opt-out is not approved, the student must participate in the required SDSU COVID-19 Testing Program.
For more information regarding this testing requirement, the testing process, to request an exemption, or to initiate approval of opting out of this testing, please email covidcaseresponse@sdsu.edu.
Students are responsible for their actions within this shared community, and those actions affect others. We ask that all students continue to be responsible and considerate of their community.