*Published on August 24, 2020*
Dear Students,
Northeastern University is looking forward to welcoming you to campus for the fall term. We have been working around the clock for a streamlined and–most importantly–safe and healthy start to the fall term.
In previous messages, we’ve reminded you of our pre-travel safety recommendations—to minimize contact with others before you travel and to get a COVID-19 test any time between now and your travel date. We’ve also shared the testing requirements for students on our Boston campus. Please note, as an additional precaution we have decided to increase the regular testing frequency for students to every three days following completion of your initial testing protocol on days one, three, and five.
For students who already live close to our Boston campus—including students who are already living off-campus or living within commuting distance —we have an additional recommendation that you begin your testing as early as possible. You may schedule your first test as early as this week, followed by tests on days three and five after your initial test.
As required for all of our students, you will need to have three negative tests before you can fully take part in campus activities, including in-person classes. So, taking the tests earlier will allow you to fully take part in campus activities sooner. If you are moving into university housing, beginning your testing cadence early will also simplify your move-in day. Earlier testing will also give you time to get care and recover should you have a positive test.
For students who have plans to arrive prior to their move-in date, either on- or off-campus, you are similarly encouraged to start your testing cadence on your earliest arrival date in Boston. For example, if you are planning to stay overnight in a hotel prior to your move-in date, we strongly encourage you to use that time to get your initial test, to start the one-, three-, five-day testing protocol.
Students who begin their testing early should still practice other safety measures, including practicing healthy distancing, wearing a face covering, following good hygiene practices, and minimizing contact with others. Students who begin testing early will still need to wait until their assigned move-in date and time before they move into university housing.
To begin your testing, please use the COVID-19 Test Scheduler to schedule your first test. Beginning on August 28, the COVID-19 Test Scheduler will start sending automatic reminders about when you should schedule your next test. Before that date, please mark your calendar for tests on days three and five after your initial test so you remember to schedule your test for those days in the COVID-19 Test Scheduler.
Before you arrive for your test, you will need to complete the Expectations for Return to Campus Attestation form, the COVID-19 testing consent form, and the Daily Wellness Check. Please bookmark services.northeastern.edu/wellness for convenient access to all of these tools, and remember to complete the Daily Wellness Check on a daily basis. You will also need to have your Husky Card in hand before your test. If you are moving into university housing, please watch for signage and the card readers when you exit the Cabot testing center. You will need to tap your Husky Card on a card reader outside of the testing center to confirm you’ve completed your first test. This will alert Housing that you have complete this required step before move-in.
If you have other COVID-19 related questions, please email NUCovid19Qs@northeastern.edu or call 617.373.7333. As always, we encourage you to visit our Reopening site for updates on all of Northeastern’s plans for the fall term. Thank you and we look forward to seeing you on campus.
Sincerely,
David Madigan Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
Ken Henderson Chancellor and Senior Vice President for Learning