American University announced new isolation protocols and expanded testing in an email from the Office of Campus Life Tuesday.
In compliance with current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, students can now leave isolation on day six if they have been fever free and produce a negative antigen test on day five of their isolation. Because the University does not supply antigen tests, AU’s Covid team told students they will email community members who test positive on how to obtain them. Students should not return to the testing center to test out of isolation, the University said.
New guidelines will be released on Friday regarding increased surveillance testing for AU community members that will begin on Feb. 7. Unvaccinated community members will still be required to test weekly, and testing will still be required for individuals who are identified as close contacts.
In order to streamline contact tracing, AU is also requiring community members to self-report positive test results from tests taken on or off campus through an online form.
These updates follow the University’s previous announcement that KN95, N95 or KF94 masks must be worn while indoors on campus. KN95s are available to students for free at Bender Library, Mary Graydon Center, the School of International Service, the Office of Enrollment Fulfillment Center and the Washington College of Law.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
