SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – On Wednesday, Syracuse University announced that beginning Thursday, all classes would move online for the remainder of the semester. In-person instruction was scheduled to end on Nov. 24, which was moved to Nov. 13, and then Nov. 12. The University is encouraging all students to get tested for COVID-19 prior to departing campus, to ensure safe travels.
Pruthvi Kilaru is in charge of Syracuse University’s ongoing COVID-19 testing available at the Dome.
“[COVID] is not something we want students taking back home to their parents or their loved ones,” he said.
Kilaru added that they are trying to get testing done as quickly and “orderly” as possible, “to make sure that students are safe and not panicking.” Students can go to the stadium Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for free Coronavirus testing.
SU student JD Triolo appreciates how easy it is to get a COVID-19 test on campus. “I honestly wasn’t aware of how accessible it actually was. No need for an appointment. It’s great.”
Triolo felt it was necessary to get tested before going home to protect his family.
“I don’t want to infect my parents and other people that I see at home,” he said. “Obviously there is a rise in cases everywhere, not just here in Syracuse, but everywhere, so I think it’s important to not add to that.”
After students give a saliva sample at the Dome, it is sent to a lab where 12 tests are pooled together, Kilaru said.
“Once those 12 samples are pooled, they’re sent to another lab for analysis, and then that lab looks at whether that pool tests positive or not,” he said.
Negative tests are typically quicker to find out about than positive tests. According to Kilaru, if a pool tests positive, all the samples within that pool are re-tested.
From his experiences, SU student Park Vandereen usually receives his results within two to three days of his test.
