An important part of returning to, and remaining on, campus is compliance with WPI's testing protocols. Testing is just one component––along with social distancing, wearing face coverings, limiting your close contacts, keeping your areas clean, and not gathering in groups––of creating a healthy campus environment.
What You Need to Know Now
- The routine COVID-19 testing schedule has changed for D-Term. Those in a regular testing cadence should check the new hours and days.
- All undergraduate students will be tested twice a week for the duration of C-Term.
- If you have any symptoms, do not come to campus, even for testing.
- Symptomatic students: Report any symptoms immediately on the Symptom Tracker and someone from the Health team will reach out with next steps and info about testing.
- Symptomatic employees: Do not come to campus or, if you begin to feel ill while on campus, immediately go home, alert your manager, and contact your physician for care and testing. Also report any symptoms on the Symptom Tracker; a member of the Health team will contact you.
- Faculty and staff can find information about Return to Work protocols, including quarantine and negative test requirements, in the Return to Campus Guidance and the Information About COVID-19 Testing at WPI (PDF) .
Testing Details
-
Routine Testing (Students and Employees)
- On-campus students and fraternity/sorority members in corridor-style housing and student athletes will be tested two times per week.
- All undergraduate students will be tested twice a week for the duration of C-Term.
- All other students will be tested once per week.
- All employees and contract workers returning to work on campus in January will be required to begin their routine testing on their first day of arrival. After your test, you will need to continue working remotely until your test results come back; you must have a negative result before returning to campus.
- If you are experiencing symptoms at any time, do not get tested at Harrington. Students: Report any symptoms on the Symptom Tracker; someone from the Health team will reach out to you with next steps. Employees: Do not come to campus, or immediately go home if you already are on campus. Contact your primary care provider. Report any symptoms on your Symptom Tracker; a Health team member will contact you with your next steps.
Harrington Auditorium Routine Testing Hours for D-Term:
Testing will be available by appointment only:
- Sunday 10 am to 6 pm
- Monday 10 am to 6 pm
- Tuesday 10 am to 6 pm
- Wednesday 5:50 am to 6 pm
- Thursday 10 am to 6 pm
- Friday Closed
- Saturday Closed
-
Symptomatic Testing (Students and Employees)
- If you are experiencing symptoms at any time, do not get tested at Harrington. Students: Report any symptoms on the Symptom Tracker; someone from the Health team will reach out to you with next steps. Employees: Do not come to campus, or immediately go home if you already are on campus. Contact your primary care provider. Report any symptoms on your Symptom Tracker; a Health team member will contact you with your next steps.
- Students who report COVID-like symptoms will be tested by Health Services. This cost will be billed to insurance.
- Employees who report COVID-like symptoms should work with their PCP on whether they should be tested. This testing would be billed to the employee’s insurance. Following WPI's Return to Work protocols, if you were experiencing COVID-19-like symptoms only, you will need both a negative COVID-19 PCR test and a note from a healthcare provider clearing you to return to work.
- Any community members who test positive through a clinic or other provider other than WPI’s testing partners or who are identified as a close contact of someone outside of WPI should report their status and the results of any COVID tests via the symptom tracker (see below).
Student Toolkit
Many resources are available to help students find the most accurate and updated information about the back-to-campus new normal, testing protocols, and what to do if you think you've been exposed to or have COVID-19. The following PDFs offer information students can use to answer a range of questions.
Students—What You Need to Do For the Back-to-Campus New Normal
Students—Instructions for COVID-19 Testing at WPI
Students—After Your COVID-19 Test-What Comes Next
Students—Close Contact with Someone Tested Positive for COVID-19
Setting Up Your Broad Test Result Portal
As part of our efforts to support the health and safety of the campus community, WPI has developed a comprehensive COVID-19 testing program for students, faculty, and staff who plan to come to campus.
Part of that program is that everyone who is coming onto campus for classes, to work, for sports or any activity will need routine, ongoing testing. The Broad Institute (rhymes with road), a Cambridge-based biomedical and genomic organization, is managing that ongoing testing. You will need to register with the Broad to access the portal to review your test results.
Additional adjustments to our operations may be needed based on updated guidance and public health trends. We recommend you check back regularly for the latest updates.