CT To College Students: Test For Coronavirus Before Coming Home

CONNECTICUT — Gov. Ned Lamont joined a group of governors in neighboring states in urging college students from Connecticut to test for COVID-19 before leaving for Thanksgiving break, and also quarantining before going home.

Lamont was joined by leaders of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Rhode Island and Massachusetts in the regional recommendation, which seeks to curb the spread of the coronavirus as students return to their home states and cities.

Students who test positive will be encouraged to isolate on campus before they can travel or detail arrangements of their safe travel home with the local department of health.

In addition, colleges should inform students and their families of relevant quarantine policies in their home state, the governors said.

"College students returning from highly infected states could accelerate the spread of COVID in Connecticut," Lamont said on Wednesday. “I appreciate the joint effort of all our regional governors to clearly state the testing/quarantine rules for returning home from college."

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Lamont made his plea the same day he described the state's pending coronavirus vaccine distribution as a "Herculean effort," and the largest vaccination program in decades.

Any student who tests positive before they leave for home should be permitted to isolate on campus, or may travel safely with the approval of the local departments of health, according to the governors' recommendations. Students who are already isolating or quarantining on campus must remain in place until completing their prescribed seclusion.

In addition, the governors are strongly recommending that colleges and universities finish their fall semesters by expanding remote instruction, enabling more students to learn from home for the few weeks between Thanksgiving and winter break rather than require students to travel back to campus and then back home again in December.

If colleges and universities do reopen for in-person instruction during this period, all returning students should receive COVID-19 tests and comply with relevant isolation and quarantine protocols, the governors suggest.

The state leaders are also urging the schools to double down on precautions, including frequent health screenings and surveillance testing due the increased risk of COVID-19 exposure from student travel.

On Wednesday, the University of Connecticut announced 16 new on-campus positive cases and 40 new off-campus positive cases, all at Storrs. Notably, 46 of the 56 positive cases were asymptomatic, which university health officials say underscores the importance of UConn’s plan to test students before they return to their home communities for Thanksgiving break starting this weekend.

Half of colleges and universities across the northeast have already indicated they will be fully remote between Thanksgiving and the end of their fall semester.

The governors and their public health experts developed this guidance over the weekend at an emergency summit of northeastern governors.