On-Campus Testing For Spring 2023, faculty, staff and students that have an approved medical or religious exemption will be subject to COVID-19 testing, if conditions warrant. These individuals will be notified if and when they are required to test. Residential Students It is recommended that all resident students take a COVID-19 antigen self-test before move-in. Students should report the results to the Counseling, Health and Wellness Center if they are exposed to or having symptoms of COVID-19. Their test results can be uploaded to the WP COVID Testing Portal. The Office of Residence Life will send email communication if there are any updates to the COVID-19 protocols. All residential students may be subject to surveillance testing, whether vaccinated or not, if there is an outbreak within the residence halls or if conditions warrant such testing. Throughout the semester, resident students who are having symptoms or identify being exposed will be offered an at-home test delivered to their room after filling out the WP Symptom and Exposure Reporting Form. Unvaccinated/Students Without an Approved Exemption Unvaccinated students who do not have an approved exemption are prohibited from coming to campus. All students who are required to be tested will be contacted via email from the Counseling, Health and Wellness Center with more information about testing. Unvaccinated/Exempt Faculty and Staff All unvaccinated/exempt individuals are subject to participation in regular COVID-19 PCR testing. This will be determined by the Counseling, Health and Wellness Center on collaboration with the Office of Human Resources. They will be contacted directly via email from Human Resources with more information about testing. General Student Population Students who may have been exposed to COVID-19 or are having symptoms may get tested through the Counseling, Health and Wellness Center. Any student requesting to be tested should call 973-720-2360 to make an appointment. Off-Campus Testing Home test kits for COVID-19 are widely available in pharmacies, grocery stores, and other retail locations. For more information about testing in New Jersey visit: https://covid19.nj.gov/pages/testing. To find a free COVID-19 test closer to your home, you may visit NJ Testing Information. Any individual who has received a positive COVID-19 test should upload their result to the WP Covid Testing Portal. Having one centralized portal for COVID tests will help to streamline contact tracing and notifications. All individuals will have access to their own portal and can upload their results. Reporting of Positive COVID-19 Tests and Exposures The health of our community continues to depend on the cooperation of students, faculty, and staff in identifying and reporting cases of COVID-19 so that we can properly identify any exposures. This process becomes even more challenging when there are high rates of transmission in our local communities. We ask that our community members be responsible and stay home if they are sick, exposed and unvaccinated, or if they think they have COVID-19. It is true, especially with the Omicron variant, that symptoms can also mirror a cold, allergies, flu, and other illnesses. If you are having any symptoms, we ask that you test for COVID-19 and do not return to campus until you have obtained the results of your test. You also must report symptoms on the WP Symptom and Exposure Form. If you receive a positive result, you must submit results on the WP COVID Testing Portal to ensure proper tracking and follow up. It is imperative that you continue to cooperate with COVID-19 protocols. If we need to notify you of an exposure or any change in protocols, we will be contacting individuals through their WP email account, which you must check daily. For Spring 2023, all individuals will be responsible for notifying their close contacts if they test positive for COVID-19. More information will be provided to you once you upload your positive COVID-19 test in the WP COVID Testing Portal. William Paterson will continue to partner with public health officials tin our COVID-19 prevention efforts. The University has established relationships with local health departments and will coordinate with local officials to effectuate prompt and appropriate response to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19. The University will continue to evolve practices and protocols to respond to current conditions. All community members who test positive for COVID-19 must follow the current isolation guidelines. All employees and students who test positive will be asked to complete a contact tracing form to help identify their close contacts.
