Dear ESF Community,
 
Earlier this week, ESF sent information regarding testing for ESF students that is being conducted at Syracuse University through the weekend (please check your email or www.esf.edu/restart/updates). Please find additional testing opportunities for ESF undergraduate students below.
 
Testing: ESF Students
As part of ESFs ongoing efforts to protect the health of our community ESF will offer COVID-19 surveillance testing to off-campus undergraduate students. This testing is meant to provide ESF with a baseline estimate of disease prevalence in our largest population. Surveillance samples will be sent to and tested by Upstate Medical University. After surveillance testing at ESF you may continue normal activities (with strict adherence to mask wearing and social distancing) unless you are subsequently contacted by ESF staff and notified of a positive test. There is no cost for any component of ESF surveillance testing. Students must sign up for a testing appointment slot and must bring their student ID. Testing will be conducted in front of Centennial Hall at designated times throughout next week and results will be communicated to Syracuse University for utilization of their facilities.

To take advantage of this testing option, please adhere to the following guidelines.
  • Wear a mask when arriving to the check-in center.
  • Please do NOT eat or drink—including water, gum, mints, lozenges, smoking or smokeless tobacco products—for 30 minutes prior to arriving at the check-in center.
  • Please do NOT brush your teeth or use mouthwash for 3 hours prior to arriving at the check-in center.
 
Voluntary COVID-19 surveillance testing for graduate teaching assistants will be held on a future date and details are forthcoming.
 
 
Testing: ESF Faculty and Staff
ESF faculty and staff are not required to take a COVID-19 test to use ESF or Syracuse University facilities. This mirrors the directive given for Syracuse University faculty and staff, who also do not need to take a COVID-19 test. This decision supports data that indicates the local community infection rate is below one percent and that is where the majority of both Syracuse University’s and ESF’s faculty and staff reside. This decision ensures that our institutions will not flood Upstate and the Syracuse Community Health Center with requests to test thousands of staff members when the real concern is getting test results from students arriving from locations across the country.
 
Sincerely,
Dr. Brian Leydet
Assistant Professor, ESF
Member, COVID-19 Point of Contact Team