Penn State is encouraging all East Halls residents to get tested for COVID-19 through a pop-up testing site on Saturday, March 27.

The site, located outside Bigler Hall, will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. East residents who already tested positive for COVID-19 within the last 90 days don’t need to get tested.

The makeshift site will use saliva tests that will later be taken to an off-site lab for analysis.

Penn State’s advisory comes after previously asking residents from seven East Halls dorms — Hastings, Stone, Earle, Martin, Geary, Snyder, and Packer — to get tested for COVID-19. The university said it encourages testing when a local population’s positivity rate cracks 2%.

Penn State’s testing encouragement comes as the university has reported its highest level of COVID-19 cases in months. Over the past two weeks, 571 University Park students and employees have tested positive. More than 300 cases were reported over the past seven days.

Penn State also provides walk-up testing from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Saturday, at Pegula Ice Arena and Hintz Family Alumni Center. Those who are experiencing symptoms should skip walk-up testing and schedule an appointment with University Health Services.

Students who live on campus and test positive will head to Eastview Terrace to isolate for 10 days.

One hundred and fifty-six students are currently isolating at Penn State’s Eastview Terrace complex, while 74 are quarantined there. The university is using up 58% of its 400-room capacity. Last Friday, just 46% of rooms were in use.