As directed by Lincoln-Lancaster County public health officials, the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s re-entry saliva-based testing for COVID-19 will be available from Aug. 15-22.
Results prior to Aug. 15 will not count toward the fall semester testing protocol, which was announced Aug. 6 by Chancellor Ronnie Green.
Per recommendations by county health officials, one round of campus re-entry saliva-based testing will be required between Aug. 15 and 22 for all students, faculty and staff who will be on the Lincoln campuses, regardless of vaccination status. Tests may be scheduled through the Safer Community App or online portal. Those who arrive on campus prior to Aug. 15 will still need to test during the re-entry window of Aug. 15-22.
Testing appointments can be made up to a maximum of six days in advance. Appointments beyond the six-day window are unavailable.
Following the first round of campus re-entry testing, those who have uploaded vaccination information to the registry will be exempt from continued saliva-based testing. Similar to this spring, those who can document a recent case of COVID-19 or have a medical exception to saliva testing will be exempt from all testing, including the re-entry test.
Students, faculty and staff who will be on Lincoln campuses and who have not uploaded their vaccination information to the registry will be required to participate in several rounds of weekly tests in order to have access to academic buildings and many other campus spaces. The results from these initial rounds of testing will help determine the testing posture for the remainder of the semester, in close consultation with county health officials.
Students, faculty and staff can utilize the Voluntary COVID-19 Vaccine Registry to upload vaccine information. By registering vaccination information, individuals will have the opportunity to win a number of weekly prizes during the rest of the summer, many of which have already been awarded. In addition, several grand prizes will be awarded at the beginning of the fall semester. Anyone who registers by Aug. 15 is eligible.
Students, faculty and staff will utilize the Safer Community app this fall to allow for access to campus buildings and campus activities. Those who have uploaded vaccination information into the registry and have completed the initial round of campus re-entry testing will have a continuous “Access Granted” status in the app until such time as any vaccine boosters may be required.
New students, faculty and staff can download the Safer Community app here.
The university will continue to provide resources for any student who tests positive, including isolation housing and academic support.
More details on these policies and all of our safety measures are available on university’s COVID-19 website.
