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Penn State To Move COVID-19 Testing Downtown Starting April 11

Now that testing demand has significantly fallen, Penn State says it’s moving its on-campus COVID-19 testing center a few blocks down the road.

Beginning on Monday, April 11, Penn State’s COVID-19 testing clinic will set up shop at 101 N. Atherton Street in the former FedEx Ship Center, which was purchased by the university in 2020. There, on the corner of Atherton Street and College Ave., Penn State will offer asymptomatic testing for students and employees through at least the end of the spring semester.

The downtown testing site, dubbed the Employee and Student Test Center, will continue partnering with Vault Health to offer rapid testing and “a limited number” of PCR tests. It’ll offer testing from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Kelly Wolgast, the director of Penn State’s COVID-9 Operations Control Center (COCC), said the university is moving on from the White Building now that required testing for unvaccinated students and employees is paused.

“The White Building Test Center has been instrumental in our COVID-19 efforts to offer testing to thousands of students and employees during the course of the pandemic,” Wolgast said in a release. “I am very proud of the successful operations there and grateful to all the employees who have spent countless hours supporting and administering asymptomatic testing.”

Before the downtown clinic opens, the White Building will continue offering COVID-19 tests through Friday, April 8. Students can also schedule appointments through University Health Services if they’re experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.

“We continue to encourage the Penn State community to test if they are symptomatic, if they have been in close contact with someone with COVID-19, or if they suspect they’ve been exposed to COVID-19,” said Cara Exten, an assistant professor of nursing and member of the university’s COCC. “Through rapid testing and immediate quarantine/isolation, we can all contribute to continued low rates of COVID-19 in our community.”

Moving testing downtown is the latest step Penn State has taken as COVID-19 concerns lessen across the country. The university no longer requires masking in most areas on campus, effective March 23.

Due to “anticipated low usage of voluntary and asymptomatic testing,” Penn State said it will stop regularly updating its COVID-19 Dashboard beginning on April 7. Archived data will remain available.

For more information on Penn State’s latest COVID-19 policies, visit its dedicated website.

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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 (mattdisanto86@gmail.com) or follow him on Twitter (@mattdisanto_) to stay in touch.

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