Before Cal Poly starts its fall quarter on Sept. 14, thousands of students who plan to live on campus have to test negative for COVID-19 before they’re allowed at the school.

In an Aug. 26 press release, Cal Poly announced that all students who hope to live on campus this fall will first be required to get tested for COVID-19—at some point within the 72 hours before moving in. While the university acknowledged in its release that the timeframe will likely be a difficult task logistically, Cal Poly said it would work with students to help them find necessary testing resources locally or in their areas of permanent residence.

“Our goal is to keep SLO County safe, open, and strong in this new school year,” SLO County Public Health Officer Dr. Penny Borenstein said in the press release. “We can do that by managing the spread of COVID-19 and minimizing the risks to our community, which includes Cal Poly students, staff, and faculty. It’s important for each individual to do the right thing and adhere to health guidance so that we can continue to move forward together.”

While the majority of Cal Poly’s courses will be held virtually this fall, about 12 percent of the school’s more than 4,000 fall classes will be taught face-to-face, according to the press release. About 6,000 students are expected to take at least one in-person course and the university is opening its campus housing facilities to about 5,150 students. Typically more than 8,000 beds are available in University Housing. Students, according to Cal Poly, will be housed by themselves in single rooms only.

Although students living off-campus are not required to get tested, the university is urging everyone to get tested before returning to the area.
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