Important Reminders

Dear Undergraduate, Graduate, and Professional Students:

Prior to Winter Break, you received the below message about plans and requirements for the spring semester. If you haven’t already done so, I urge you to carefully review this information and the website as you prepare for a new term and what will be required of you in relation to the pandemic.

Please note there are two requirements related to testing:

1. Spring Pre-Arrival Testing. All students living on Grounds or in the local Charlottesville or Albemarle County area this spring (January-May 2021) will be required to take a LetsGetChecked (LGC) test or other viral PCR COVID-19 test and ensure the results are reported to the University prior to returning to Charlottesville. If you are already in Charlottesville and not planning to change residential location during the spring semester, you should plan for testing as soon as possible if you have not done so. This includes off-Grounds students living in the area and students living in their permanent residences in the area, even if their classes are all online. (Please note: UVA saliva prevalence tests do not fulfill the pre-arrival testing requirement, so please be sure to submit an LGC test kit.)
   • You should also take extra precautions to minimize your risk of exposure prior to submitting your test and before returning to the local area, especially since infections are rising in our region and across the country. Timelines vary for this testing, so please pay close attention to the Schedule for Testing. Most students will use the LGC kits described below to complete this testing. These kits are free and for your use only. You may not give your kit to anyone else, including family members or friends.
      
2. Prevalence Testing. Prevalence testing will restart on Monday, January 11. Students who have returned to Grounds or are currently living in Charlottesville or Albemarle County must resume weekly testing. Prevalence testing (saliva screening) is available on a walk-in basis at the Central Grounds Garage, the School of Medicine, and other locations. For current locations and times, please see https://besafe.virginia.edu/.
   • This testing does not satisfy the requirements for spring pre-arrival testing. Please submit an LGC test kit 10 days before your return to the Charlottesville area, or, if you have already returned, as soon as possible.

Along with other University leaders, I remain grateful for all you did last semester to follow guidelines and help keep the community safe. Those same guidelines – wearing a mask, maintaining physical distance, gathering in groups of 10 or fewer, and frequently washing your hands – remain vitally important.

I hope you enjoyed a restful break and things are going well as the new year gets under way.

Sincerely,

Allen W. Groves
University Dean of Students

Date: December 14, 2020
To: All students, faculty, staff and parents
Subject: UVA Spring 2021 Update

In This Email:

• Important Requirements for Students for the Spring Semester
• Spring Pre-Arrival Testing for Students
• Weekly Prevalence Testing Requirements for Students
• Updated Health and Safety Guidance

The beginning of the spring academic term is just around the corner and we want to make sure you are familiar with the University’s plans for a safe and successful Spring 2021.

First, we are monitoring the progression of the virus in the country, the Commonwealth, and this region closely. As of now, we are still on track to welcome students back in-person in the spring. If conditions demand a change to our plans, we will notify you by Jan. 15.

Just like in the fall, students have a choice to come to the Charlottesville area this semester or to study remotely. All in-person students will be subject to requirements around testing, signing an agreement, and complying with University policy, as students were last semester.

Our testing capacity is greater, so we will test all students once per week. Testing will be mandatory for those living on-Grounds and off-Grounds. Additionally, we are changing the way we ensure compliance with testing requirements. Finally, in this update, we offer guidance for students who have previously contracted the virus.

Building on the success of last semester will require the same level of vigilance and commitment to the safety of the people around us. Fortunately, we now have the benefit of knowing that a plan like the one below can work if we stick together and do the right things for each other and for this community. We hope you are having a safe and restful winter break and we look forward to another successful semester.

Liz Magill
Provost

JJ Davis
Chief Operating Officer

Mitch Rosner
Chair, Department of Medicine

IMPORTANT REQUIREMENTS BEFORE SPRING SEMESTER

All students living or learning on-Grounds, in Charlottesville or Albemarle, or attending in-person University programs regardless of location during spring semester will be required to complete three important steps, similar to the process this fall:

• Taking and presenting a valid COVID-19 PCR test to the University.
• Watching a video on University health and safety protocols.
• Signing an agreement to abide by University policies designed to limit the spread.
• In addition, students must also update their local mailing address.

Students will complete this process in the SIS portal and should plan to do so just prior to their arrival. Students already in the Charlottesville area should complete the process in early January.

SPRING PRE-ARRIVAL TESTING FOR STUDENTS

All students who plan to live on Grounds or in Charlottesville or Albemarle County this spring (January-May 2021) will be required to take a viral PCR COVID-19 test and ensure the results are reported to the University prior to return (or if already in the area, see instructions on the pre-arrival testing page).

• The University has contracted with Let’s Get Checked (LGC) to provide self-administered, mail-in test kits to students. Please go to the UVA portal on the LGC website. You may only order for yourself, and only through this portal. LGC kits are non-transferrable. You should order your test kit as soon as possible so that you have it on hand to test at the appropriate time. Sign in to the LGC account you created back in the summer for pre-arrival testing. If you do not have an LGC account, create one using your primary virginia.edu email address. Please make sure you update your shipping address if needed.
• Students should also take extra precautions to minimize their exposure prior to submitting their test and returning to Charlottesville. Please see Schedule for Testing on the Return to Grounds website for further details on timing.
• If a student tests positive in the 10 days before their arrival to the local Charlottesville or Albemarle County area (whether through an LGC kit or another testing method), they will need to isolate at home and be cleared by their local health department before they can travel to Charlottesville or Albemarle County. They may begin their coursework online during this period.
• If you are a minor, are arriving from abroad, have tested positive since Oct. 6, 2020, or are enrolled in an executive-format program, please see special testing instructions on the Return to Grounds pre-arrival testing page.
• Students may submit a PCR test from another source, at their own cost, which should be uploaded to the HealthyHoos portal. Only viral PCR tests will be accepted. Antigen and antibody tests will not be accepted.

WEEKLY PREVALENCE TESTING FOR STUDENTS

• Beginning on Jan. 11, 2021, all students living in Charlottesville or Albemarle County will be required to test for COVID-19 weekly through the University’s COVID-19 prevalence testing program. This includes graduate and professional students, as well as undergraduates.
• Beginning on Feb. 1, 2021 and continuing throughout the Spring 2021 semester, students will be required to test on a designated day each week. We will announce more details on this approach soon.
• Students will not be subject to disciplinary action for a positive test result or for any information disclosed during contact tracing. However, starting on Feb. 1, students who fail to comply with the University’s prevalence testing program will be subject to various sanctions such as denial of in-person and/or remote participation and access to University network, facilities, classes, programs, and activities. Students who fail to comply repeatedly will be subject to suspension.
• Students who have tested positive for COVID-19 previously will be exempt from prevalence testing requirements only during the 90 days following the day of their positive test result and must resume testing after that period.

UPDATED HEALTH AND SAFETY GUIDANCE

• All students will be expected to adhere to University, local, and state public health guidelines around wearing a mask, physical distancing, limiting the size of gatherings, and prevalence testing requirements.
• Students who previously tested positive for COVID-19 will still be required to follow all guidelines, with the exception of the exemption period from prevalence testing for 90 days following their positive test. Students who test positive outside of the University’s testing program will be required to upload their test result.
• All students present in Charlottesville or Albemarle County will be held accountable for failures to comply with these policies, regardless of whether they come to Grounds regularly or have previously tested positive for the virus.