AUCC (ATLANTA UNIVERSITY CENTER CONSORTIUM) Community,
Change remains a constant as we continue to navigate through the COVID-19 pandemic. The assessment of our data related to the potential spread of the highly contagious omicron strain, indicated that heightened testing was needed. We instituted a Pre-Arrival Covid Testing protocol as an efficient way for our campus community to be aware of their status before returning to campus. However, we did not anticipate the issues that arose in the ordering, arrival, and processing of testing kits and receiving results due to supply chain and logistical issues with our vendor.
As executive director of the AUCC, I regret any inconvenience this has caused any member of our campus community and applaud you for using alternate methods to be tested and maintaining the low positivity rate on our campuses.
All PRE-ARRIVAL protocol testing will conclude as our campuses re-open and begin in person classes on 1/31/22. During the spring semester, we will continue with our process of rapid testing our entire campus population and providing PCR testing to randomly selected community members, both on a weekly basis. We have also advised faculty, staff and students to order tests from https://www.covidtests.gov, the federal government site providing 4 testing kits per household. Orders ship via USPS in 7-12 days. Please note these are rapid tests, not PCR.
As in-person classes resume on Monday, January 31st, we continue to be grateful for the patience, resilience, and flexibility of every member of our community as we face unpredictable circumstances together.
Sincerely,
Michael E. Hodge, Ph.D.
Executive Director, AUC Consortium, Inc.
