Copyright © 2020 Albuquerque Journal
COVID testing, room-service style.
New Mexico State University on Wednesday announced it is offering out-of-state students free COVID-19 tests, which the school is delivering directly to the students’ dorm rooms.
The school said 100 students can get tested Wednesday and Thursday this week. Many out-of-state students have already moved into their dorms to begin a 14-day quarantine that is required of anyone who travels into New Mexico under public health orders, according to NMSU.
“We are sending trained collections staff to each student’s dorm room to make it quick and convenient,” Lori McKee, executive director of NMSU’s Aggie Health and Wellness Center, said in a statement. “It’s been easy for students to register for the free COVID-19 test online, thanks to the New Mexico Department of Health. We are doing everything possible to create a safe space for our students coming back to campus this semester.”
Minerva Baumann, an NMSU spokeswoman, said it is possible a similar testing effort could be organized in the future but there are none currently planned.
The school sent out pictures of medical professionals in protective gear making the rounds to student dorm rooms on Wednesday. There are five teams comprised of wellness center staff, Department of Health employees and NMSU police involved in the testing effort, according to NMSU.
If a student tests positive, NMSU says it has a system to provide them with medical, emotional and physical care, which will include telehealth visits, meal delivery services and other types of support.
At the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, officials are preparing for out-of-state students to begin arriving.
The school is only allowing one student in each on-campus bedroom. Out-of-state students will start moving in Friday through Sunday and in-state students will move in Aug. 13-16.
A reentry plan the school has created says officials are still making decisions about testing on campus.
