Fellow Athenians:
To promote health and safety on campus as part of our comprehensive re-entry plan, all Athens State University students coming to campus for the fall semester will receive a free COVID-19 test as part of the GuideSafe™ entry to campus program, supported by funding from the State of Alabama.
Here are a few important details about Athens State's Campus Entry Testing:
- Any student who plans to physically come to Athens State for classes, meetings, jobs, extracurricular activities, events, or any other reason to be on campus must provide documentation of a negative COVID-19 test.
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You will receive an e-mail from testing@guidesafe.org about accessing and scheduling your COVID-19 test. Emails will be sent beginning on August 6th and 7th. Please look for and promptly complete the instructions in the e-mail. The test involves a nasal swab just inside the nostril, which is easy to self-administer and less invasive than the nasopharyngeal swab you may have seen as another sample collection method.
- Testing began the first week of August, but students should not test more than 14 days before returning to campus. We suggest setting up your test 7-14 days prior to arrival.
- Students must have a negative test within 14 days prior to coming on Athens State's campus.
- Free testing will be provided for ALL students coming to campus.
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You can go to your primary care provider or another testing site. Provide Athens State with your coronavirus test results by emailing StudentRTC@athens.edu.
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Those who test positive must have medical clearance from a healthcare provider after quarantine to enter campus. Please note: If you have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 12 weeks, please do not re-test at this time. Instead, provide Athens State University a copy of your positive test results and medical clearance from a healthcare provider to return to campus. Submit any positive test results and medical clearance for return to campus to StudentRTC@athens.edu.
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Out-of-state students will receive information about COVID-19 testing in the initial email from GuideSafe™ Entry Testing.
- Campus Entry Testing will supplement other strategies, such as appropriate safety training online and enrolling in the Athens-State Healthcheck daily self-evaluation app. Details will follow about this process.
Our ability to test every student entering campus this fall will go a long way in helping us maintain a safe environment. Once on campus, there will be other strategies to maintain a safe environment, like face coverings and physical distancing. The COVID-19 situation is evolving rapidly. Please check our website often, as new information for students is shared there as it becomes available.
