Implementing Mandatory Testing and a Public Health Commitment to Control COVID-19 on a College Campus

The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly impacted US colleges and universities. As The George Washington University (GWU), a large urban university, prepared to reopen for the Fall 2020 semester, GWU established protocols to protect the health and wellness of all members of campus community. Reopening efforts included a cadre of COVID-19 surveillance systems including development of a public health COVID-19 laboratory, weekly and symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 testing and daily risk screening and symptom monitoring. Other activities included completion of a mandatory COVID-19 training and influenza vaccination for the on-campus population, quarantining of students returning to campus, campus-focused case investigations and quarantining of suspected close contacts, clinical follow-up of infected persons, and regular communication and monitoring. A smaller on-campus population of 4,435 students, faculty and staff returned to campus with later expansion of testing to accommodate GWU students living in the surrounding area. Between August 17 and December 4, 2020, 38,288 tests were performed; 220 were positive. The surveillance program demonstrated a relatively low positivity rate, with temporal clustering of infected persons mirroring community spread, and little evidence for transmission among the GWU on-campus population. These efforts demonstrate the feasibility of safely partially reopening a large urban college campus by applying core principles of public health surveillance, infectious disease epidemiology, behavioral measures, and increased testing capacity, while continuing to promote educational and research opportunities. GWU will continue to monitor the program as the pandemic evolves and periodically reassess to determine if these strategies will be successful upon a full return to in-person learning. Summary BoxO_LIWhat is the current understanding of this subject? When the COVID-19 pandemic began, generally universities were not prepared and it was unclear how to safely reopen colleges and universities given the uncertain risks of transmission among students, faculty and staff. C_LIO_LIWhat does this report add to the literature? This case report highlights the successful approaches employed, including applying the core principles of public health surveillance and increasing testing capacity, to mitigate the spread of SARS-CoV-2 on a densely populated urban college campus resulting in a safe reopening. C_LIO_LIWhat are the implications for public health practice? This experience can provide a roadmap for other universities to consider as they plan for the safe reopening of their campuses. C_LI