As part of its multi-layered approach to limit the spread of COVID-19, the University of Nebraska–Lincoln will start the spring 2021 semester with a required saliva-based testing program.
Announced in a Jan. 11 email from Chancellor Ronnie Green and following the direction of the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department, all students, instructors (including faculty) and staff who will be on campus in the spring semester must participate in the testing. Those individuals must complete two rounds of the saliva-based testing to maintain access to campus facilities.
The testing, which will be linked to Safer Community — a smartphone app that is available for download, will begin for the majority of the campus community during the week of Jan. 19 (some units which start courses before Jan. 25, including the College of Law, are being tested the week of Jan. 11). Individuals who are not tested once and receive a COVID-19 negative result by Jan. 25 will not be cleared to be on campus when the spring semester begins.
The app, available for Apple users and for Android users, is the easiest and best way to navigate the testing process. It allows users to schedule tests and will notify you of results, likely within 24 hours.
Individuals who do not have a smartphone can schedule tests and obtain results online.
Before downloading the app and scheduling a test, all students must complete the Spring 2021 Cornhusker Commitment in MyRED and a 10-minute training video.
Students, instructors and staff who will not be on campus in the spring semester are not required to be tested. Additional information about exemptions from the testing are available here.
Read the full article and watch the video at Nebraska Today.
University Communication contributed to this report
