The University of Missouri is requiring certain students to take a COVID-19 test ahead of the 2021 spring semester.
Testing will be mandatory for approximately 6,300 undergraduate students living in university sponsored or owned housing.
Spokesperson Christian Basi says the goal is to prevent the spread of the disease but also to glean information that could inform safety protocols.
“That’s part of what we’re trying to learn ourselves: Is there information that we can learn from this arrival testing that might drive our strategies,” he says.
Students have until January 4 to submit their COVID-19 arrival testing plan to the university. The options are to schedule a free test on campus in January or to take a test from home up to five days ahead of the move. Both PCR and rapid antigen viral testing results will be accepted.
Students who have previously tested positive as early as October 15 will be asked to show documentation but not required to take a test.
Those students testing positive will be asked either to delay their move back to campus or quarantine per campus protocol.
In an email, Jamie Shutter, executive director for Student Health and Well-Being and interim director of the Student Health Center said face masks, social distancing and hygiene measures will remain in place during the spring semester while vaccination gets underway.
Campus wide, there have been more than 2,700 student cases of the virus since August.
Spring semester classes begin January 19.
