January COVID-19 Guidance For Texas A&M Students, Employees
Texas A&M University will require all *employees and *students who reside on campus to be tested for COVID-19 before the start of the spring semester, administrators announced Monday.
The action will help manage the initial surge in cases that is expected when Aggies return to campus in January, similar to the increase in cases* noted after Thanksgiving. It will also help identify and isolate positive cases, facilitate contact tracing to reduce spread of the virus on campus and increase the likelihood of finishing the spring semester with in-person activities.
Employees must undergo a COVID-19 PCR test between Jan. 2-12 and provide results by Jan. 15. An email with a link to the secure Texas A&M COVID-19 Testing Program portal and further instructions will be sent to each employee. Tests can be obtained at medical providers or at on-campus locations Jan. 4-12.
All students residing in university housing on the College Station campus will also need to be tested before the end of the first week of classes, on or before Jan. 22. This can be completed remotely or for free on campus. Instructions will be sent to these students, as well as student employees, who will also be required to test prior to the start of the semester or returning to work.
All members of the campus community who will return to Bryan-College Station after traveling outside the Brazos Valley should avoid contact with others for 72 hours, wear a face covering, practice social distancing and wash hands frequently.
Students who live off campus aren’t required to be tested at this time, but are encouraged to do so if attending in-person classes, visiting campus or accessing in-person campus resources.
Certain employees may be exempt from testing. An exemption to the testing requirement will made made only for those who provide documentation prior to returning to work of a positive test result in the 90 days prior to the start of campus and are symptom-free, and those with alternate work location agreements in place.
Additionally, all students, faculty and staff at the Bryan-College Station campus and sites will be required to complete an online training course prior to the spring semester.
More details on testing, training and other protocols will be sent to students and employees via email. Pandemic-related policies and guidance can be found on the university’s COVID-19 website.
* This link is no longer active and has been removed.
