UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The University Park employee and student COVID-19 testing center located at 101 North Atherton St. will pause operations after Friday, May 13.
For students at University Park who are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, testing will continue to be available through University Health Services and students can schedule testing appointments with University Health Services (UHS) via myUHS. Students living on or near other Penn State campuses should seek symptomatic testing via their campus’ health services or a local provider.
Symptomatic employees should stay home from work and seek COVID-19 testing through their health care provider.
Free at-home rapid tests provided by the U.S. government are available to be ordered online at covidtests.gov. Additionally, individuals with private health insurance coverage or who are covered by a group health plan are eligible to have up to eight at-home COVID-19 tests covered by their insurance provider per month.
For University unit or program needs, Penn State General Stores has rapid COVID-19 tests available for purchase.
“It is important for everyone to stay aware of COVID-19 conditions and to continue to take precautions to avoid contact with the virus,” said Kelly Wolgast, director of Penn State’s COVID-19 Operations Control Center. “The most important thing an individual can do to be protected from COVID-19 is to be fully vaccinated. Information on vaccine providers in your area can be found at Vaccines.gov.”
According to guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), those who test positive should isolate for at least five days. Isolation recommendations vary based on the severity of symptoms and individuals should reference the CDC website for the latest guidance.
CDC guidelines recommend that individuals who have been exposed to a person who has tested positive for COVID-19 and who are not up to date on their vaccinations should quarantine for at least five days and then get tested for COVID-19. They should watch for symptoms for 10 days. Exposed individuals who are fully vaccinated do not need to quarantine but should wear a mask around others and monitor for symptoms for 10 days. People may choose to mask at any time. Masks are recommended in indoor public transportation settings and may be required in other places by local or state authorities.