Effective Aug. 30, the University of Wisconsin–Madison will require all unvaccinated students and employees to undergo weekly tests for COVID-19, the university announced Wednesday. UW–Madison had planned to test only unvaccinated students living in campus housing, but rising cases attributed to the highly contagious Delta variant resulted in the new, expanded policy that includes students living off campus and unvaccinated employees. The policy also applies to those who are vaccinated but have not shared their proof of vaccination.
“As the university has done throughout the pandemic, we’re adapting our approach as needed to respond to changes in COVID-19 activity,” the university said in a statement posted on its website. “The continuing high rate of infection due to the Delta variant makes this expanded testing requirement necessary. We continue to plan for a fall semester of in-person classes and other activity. The high levels of vaccination on campus, along with required masking and testing for those who are unvaccinated, should allow us to have a more normal semester than last fall.”
