Penn State is offering on-demand asymptomatic coronavirus testing for faculty and staff this week, the university announced Tuesday.

Between Tuesday, September 29, and Friday, October 2, University Park employees can take advantage of walk-up testing in the HUB Parking Deck’s basement level. The temporary testing center will be open for employees from 9 to 10 a.m. each day. It’s open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for students as well.

Eligible employees must be listed in Penn State’s Return To Work database. Although registration isn’t required, employees who want to be tested must bring identification and their phone and refrain from eating, drinking, chewing, or smoking 30 minutes before their arrival.

Penn State’s walk-up testing doesn’t replace its mandatory surveillance testing. This semester, the university plans to test at least 1% of its on-campus population each day.

Employees exhibiting symptoms won’t be tested at the walk-up site. Instead, they’re encouraged to stay home and call their health care provider to set up a symptomatic test.

Penn State said it will continue “exploring continuing employee on-demand testing” beyond this week and use data and observations from the week to plan for the future.

To date, just one University Park employee has tested positive for the coronavirus so far this semester, according to Penn State’s COVID-19 Dashboard. However, nearly 2,500 University Park students have tested positive since August 7.

About the Author

Matt DiSanto

Matt proudly served as Onward State’s managing editor for two years until graduating from Penn State in May 2022. Now, he’s off in the real world doing real things. Send him an email ([email protected]) or follow him on Twitter (@mattdisanto_) to stay in touch.

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