Philadelphia

Penn to Test All Students for COVID-19 on Arrival, Provide Private Dorm Rooms

The Philadelphia Business Journal looks at what campus life will like at the University of Pennsylvania amid the coronavirus

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The University of Pennsylvania said Thursday it plans to bring students back to campus for the fall semester, with a host of precautions and protocols that includes testing all students for COVID-19 when they arrive and providing every student living on campus with their own private room.

This story was first reported in the Philadelphia Business Journal.

Many of Penn’s new procedures are similar to those announced by other universities in the region, including holding hybrid online and in-person classes, ending in-person instruction after Thanksgiving break, requiring masks and physical distancing, increasing cleanings and reconfiguring shared campus spaces. 

Based on guidelines set out by the school’s Recovery Planning Group, Penn outlined the changes it plans to make to academic settings, residence halls and communal areas to keep students, faculty and staff safe while the coronavirus pandemic remains a threat, reported PBJ.com.

All students will have to agree to wear a mask in public places, stay at least 6 feet away from others and avoid crowds of more than 25 people. Penn has a total enrollment of nearly 27,000.

The school is asking that all students, if possible, get tested before they leave home to attend Penn, and stay there if they test positive. Penn will also test all students when they arrive on campus, unlike other schools that plan to focus testing efforts on symptomatic students. 

PBJ.com dives deeper into Penn's campus plans for the fall, including quarantine plans for students who test positive for the novel coronavirus.

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