American University will end the distribution of free masks and COVID-19 tests to the University community on May 10, Vice President of Student Affairs Raymond Ou and Chief of Staff and Counselor to the President Sarah Baldassaro announced in an email Thursday afternoon.
After May 10, students will be able to get tested for COVID-19 by a healthcare professional through appointments with the health center for a “nominal fee.”
Shield T3, the company that provides AU’s COVID test vending machines, announced in December 2023 that they would wind down production by the end of that month.
The University has updated its COVID-19 policies in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including allowing those with positive tests to return to normal activities after 24 hours fever-free without fever-reducing medication. The CDC and the University still recommend precautions such as masking and physical distancing for the five days following a positive test.
Ou and Baldassaro directed students with questions to contact covidhealth@american.edu.
This article was edited by Walker Whalen, Zoe Bell, Tyler Davis and Abigail Turner. Copy editing done by Luna Jinks, Ariana Kavoossi and Charlie Mennuti.
