Current Update

March 23, 2021 - 9:30 a.m.

COVID-19 Testing

Student Health Services (SHS) on the Boca Raton, Davie and Jupiter campuses offers COVID-19 viral testing for all students, faculty and staff. Priority is given to those exhibiting signs or symptoms consistent with COVID-19 and for asymptomatic individuals with recent known or suspected COVID-19 exposure.

To make an appointment for testing, call one of the three campus SHS clinic locations:

• Boca Raton: 561-297-3512
• Davie: 954-236-1556
• Jupiter: 561-799-8678

The Boca Raton SHS office also will offer walk-up testing for asymptomatic individuals during the Spring semester. Please check the SHS website for dates and schedules.

If you have symptoms of COVID-19 or suspected exposure, Protect Your Owl Family and get tested by a healthcare provider. All members of the FAU community should contact SHS if you:

• Receive a positive COVID-19 test from another healthcare provider;
• Are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or the flu;
• Have been exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 or have been exposed to someone who is positive for COVID-19 symptoms.

Knowledge of positive tests, symptoms and/or individuals with direct exposure to those with the virus allows SHS to begin contact tracing protocols.

Random Testing Program 

Employees and students will be randomly selected and offered COVID-19 tests throughout 13 weeks of the Spring semester. The selection process for this voluntary program will draw from the full FAU employee list, not including those individuals assigned full remote work as part of the Vulnerable Population Program. The student group will be comprised of all on-campus residents, all student-athletes, and non-residential students who connect to campus Wifi, swipe into any library location or Campus Recreation facility, or sign up for a seat in the Canvas Seat Reservation tool.

Beginning Monday, Jan., 18, employees and students randomly selected will be notified when attempting to log-in to any major University system, such as Workday, Canvas or Banner. Individuals selected are highly encouraged to participate in the testing process. Those choosing to participate but preferring to test through another healthcare provider will be able upload their results to support the FAU program data (both PCR and rapid antigen tests will be accepted). The FAU random testing schedule is as follows:

• Boca Raton campus
  • Wednesdays and Thursdays, 8 – 11 a.m. and 12 – 3 p.m.
  • Location 1 (last name A-L): SH-46, Room 109 (Nations Multi-Purpose Room)
  • Location 2 (last name M-Z): BU-86, Sean Stein Pavilion
• Davie campus
  • Tuesdays, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
  • Location: ES 122 (Education and Science Building)
• Jupiter campus
  • Tuesdays, 8 a.m. – 12 p.m.
  • Location: MC-12 EC 101/102 (Education Building)
• HBOI campus
  • Tuesdays, 2 – 3 p.m. and Wednesdays, 8 – 9 a.m.
  • Location: HB18, Room/Area 101 (foyer of Edwin A. Link building)

Questions regarding the random testing process will be answered via the program’s dedicated hotline (561-405-8677).

Additional information on general COVID-19 testing protocols is available in the updated FAU Health and Safety plan.

Contact Tracing

Contact tracing is the process used to identify those who encounter people who have tested positive for COVID-19 or are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, contact tracing is a core disease control measure employed as a key strategy for preventing further spread.

Contact tracing includes two distinct processes: 1) to notify individuals who test positive or are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and need to self-isolate; and 2) to notify individuals who have been exposed to COVID-19 and may need to self-quarantine.

FAU has collaborated with the Florida Department of Health (FDOH), and local county health departments, to establish processes and to assist in tracing contacts internal to the FAU community. SHS oversees contact tracing for FAU-related cases. FAU’s clinical staff or contact tracing staff performs all contact tracing for students, faculty and staff in collaboration with the FDOH, which performs the contact tracing for those outside the FAU community.

Students and employees may be contacted by phone by Student Health Services (SHS). The calls may come from unrecognized phone numbers. It is important to answer calls to your cell phone and follow the instructions contact tracers provide. FAU’s contact tracing program will not extend beyond the university community. Only FAU students and employees will be contacted. The process is as follows:

1. Student Health Services is notified of a positive test or positive COVID-19 symptoms through various sources.
2. The SHS staff contacts the FAU student or employee who tested positive or is positive for COVID-19 symptoms and makes sure they are receiving the appropriate care and, most importantly, are following healthcare directions.
3. The SHS staff interviews the student or employee to determine with whom on campus they may have come into close contact, and what campus spaces may have been exposed*.
4. Based on this information, the SHS staff will contact potentially exposed FAU students and/or employees to notify and instruct them on next steps as appropriate. Additionally, SHS will arrange for cleaning of exposed spaces.

*In this context, “close contact” is defined as being within six feet of an infected person for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period starting two days before illness onset (or, for asymptomatic patients, two days prior to test specimen collection).

Specific protocols for testing and contact tracing are available in the FAU COVID-19 Spring Plan (pages 25-26)

For employees, the Department of Human Resources has established a dedicated webpage for COVID-19 information specific to faculty and staff. Included on this page is information pertaining to the Talent Share Program, the Leave Donation Plan, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act and leave/emergency paid sick leave details.

If employees need to self-isolate or quarantine they should also inform their supervisor.

For students, FAU has developed an on-campus quarantine and isolation plan and has the capability to isolate and quarantine residential students in both Boca Raton and Jupiter.

Remember to Protect Your Owl Family. Following safety protocols and public health recommendations will limit COVID-19 on our campuses, as well as locally and across the country.

Students and employees need to continue reporting to Student Health Services (561-297-3512, after hours select option 3) if experiencing COVID-19 or flu symptoms, are exposed to COVID-19 (even if out of the area) or test positive for COVID-19.

General questions related to the COVID-19 situation should be directed to FAUCOVID19@fau.edu. All feedback is shared with applicable departments across FAU campuses to ensure adjustments as necessary. Visit the FAU coronavirus website for additional information.

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