COVID-19 Testing

During the week of Thanksgiving, November 23-27, 2020, testing will only be available on Monday, November 23 from 10 am-12:30 pm. Normal testing hours will not be available for the rest of the week. The university has expanded testing hours prior to Thanksgiving and encourages all students and employees on campus to take advantage of free testing before the holiday. Resident students will be required to take a COVID-19 test when they return from Thanksgiving Break.

Returning from Thanksgiving

All residential students will be required to be tested for COVID-19 upon returning to campus. Testing will be offered on:

• Sunday November 29, from 3 pm to 6 pm (recommended for students returning from out of state travel who will need to quarantine until they receive their results)
• Monday November 30, from 10 am to 4 pm
• Tuesday, December 1, from 10 am to 4 pm
• Wednesday, December 2, from 9 am to 12 pm
• Thursday, December 3, from 3 pm to 7 pm the week after Thanksgiving
• Asymptomatic resident students can sign up to be tested through the CoVerified app. Log in to CoVerified and download the CoVerified app

Expanded Testing Hours

The university has recently increased free testing hours. Students should enter O’Keefe at the main entrance and go to the second floor to the Gassett Recreation Courts. Testing will be available to resident students:

• Tuesdays from 10 am-4 pm
• Wednesdays from 9 am-12 pm
• Thursdays from 3-7 pm 

Symptomatic students and/or those who have had close exposure to a confirmed COVID-19 patient should not visit campus or go to O'Keefe. Symptomatic students must schedule an appointment to be tested by counseling and health services (CHS) through their health portal or by calling health services at 978.542.6413. Tests for symptomatic students will take place in a tent outside of the Ellison Campus Center.

Resident students can stop by our free flu clinic at O'Keefe, available every Tuesday from 10 am-4 pm, to fulfill their requirement to receive a flu vaccine before December 31, 2020. Counseling and Health Services staff strongly recommend that all resident students receive their flu vaccine prior to Thanksgiving break. 

• These students are not required to be tested prior to coming to campus.
• Asymptomatic students in this category are eligible to be tested on campus every two weeks. They can schedule appointments through the CoVerified app.
• Symptomatic students or those who have been exposed to a person with COVID-19 should not come to campus. They should contact CHS by phone or through their health portal for a telemedicine appointment and consultation on testing recommendations.

• Students are not required to be tested to visit campus to use the library, attend university events, etc. They must follow all health and safety protocols while on campus.
• Off-campus students who have symptoms or have been exposed to a person with COVID-19 should not come to campus. They can find off-campus testing here. They can also schedule a telehealth appointment with CHS for guidance. Any student who receives an off campus COVID test, should notify health services as soon as possible, especially if they have been on campus within 5 days of symptoms or diagnosis.
• Students not living on campus are not allowed inside residence halls this fall.

• Employees experiencing symptoms consistent with COVID-19 or exposed to a positively diagnosed individual are required to notify their leadership and human resources at eholt@salemstate.edu. Employees will be directed to seek testing if they are symptomatic and may be directed to seek testing depending on the duration and proximity of their contact with positive individuals.
  • Under Massachusetts guidelines, symptomatic testing is covered by insurance at no out of pocket cost to the individual and is not facilitated by the university; however, Human Resources can help connect faculty and staff to off-campus testing sites. For more information about employee guidelines, please review the employee guide found here.
• Staff and faculty who have frequent close contact with residential students will be eligible for on-campus asymptomatic testing. Testing should be scheduled on the Coverified app. Staff and faculty who are eligible for this testing will be notified by HR with more detailed instructions.
• Faculty and staff testing times have been recently increased. The testing site is located at the Gassett Recreation Courts on the second floor in O’Keefe. Faculty and staff should enter O’Keefe at the main entrance off the parking lot next to the Gassett Fitness Center, where they will be directed upstairs to the testing site. Free testing will be available to faculty and staff at the following times:
  • Wednesdays from 9 am-12 pm
  • Thursdays from 3-7 pm
• Testing will not be available during the week of Thanksgiving, November 23-27, 2020. The university will increase testing efforts that following week when we return from Thanksgiving break. 

Contact tracing is one of the best public health tools to battle COVID-19. We need your help to reduce transmission and spread on campus. If you’ve been notified of being exposed to someone diagnosed with COVID-19, you are considered infectious until you’ve completed your quarantine.

Your cooperation is crucial to preventing spread of infection on campus and in our communities. Adhering to quarantine or isolation protocols will not only keep you safe, but will help to ensure that we can all keep learning and growing together at Salem State.

How You Can be Ready to Help

• Answer any phone calls from the university, which would start with “978-542”
• Respond to emails, texts or messages sent through the health services portal
• Ensure contact information is up to date in Navigator, including mobile phone number
• Be mindful and either write or mentally note all close contacts and places you’ve been, so that if you become positive you are able to quickly recall who else may have been exposed

If you've been exposed to a person with COVID-19 or you test positive, you'll be asked to quarantine. Find the details on quarantine and isolation.