Post Thanksgiving Break: Mandatory COVID Testing

Dear Oxy Students,

With Thanksgiving break approaching, we are planning to increase our COVID-19 testing to require all students to participate in COVID testing when classes resume Monday 11/29. As we did when students arrived on campus at the start of the semester and after Fall Break, this is a prudent measure to account for travel and other social activities that may occur over the break. We want all students to enjoy the time off and to do so safely. We encourage community members to self-monitor and focus on personal prevention strategies to reduce the chances of exposure and transmission of the virus.

We are scheduling test dates as follows, starting on Monday, November 29th: 

Last name starting with:

A-E - Monday 11/29
F-K - Tuesday 11/30
L-Q - Wednesday 12/01
R-Z - Thursday 12/02

If you have any concerns about a COVID exposure or you are symptomatic, please come to the AGC Testing Center to get a COVID test, regardless of the day you are assigned.

Any students already participating in weekly COVID-19 testing should continue testing on their designated days.

Please come to the AGC Testing Center on your designated testing day between 8:00am-3:45pm. Please do not eat, drink or smoke at least one hour before testing. Testing should take you 10 minutes and you will receive your results the following day via a message from the myhealth.oxy.edu portal.

We have a variety of masks available, including N95 masks, in the AGC Testing Center if you would like to pick some up before you travel.

Additional Health & Safety Considerations

It is incumbent on all of us to be vigilant during this period of time, not only for your own health and safety, but that of the greater Oxy community and the community around us. It's important to be proactive about avoiding large crowds, especially indoors, and continue to follow all masking requirements. Important public health prevention practices include:

• Stay home when you are sick. Anyone with symptoms consistent with COVID-19 should remain at home in isolation for a minimum of 10 days plus at least three days after the resolution of fever (without fever-reducing medication) and improvement in other symptoms. 

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Sing the "Happy Birthday" song twice to help know when it has been 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use alcohol-based hand sanitizers that contain at least 60% alcohol.

• Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue, and then dispose of the tissue and clean your hands immediately. If you do not have a tissue, use your sleeve, not your hands, to cover coughs and sneezes.

• Limit close contact with people who are sick, and avoid sharing food, drinks, or utensils.

• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipes.