BYU starts administering free COVID tests on campus

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Yesterday, in preparation for Thanksgiving and to follow Governor Herbet’s executive order, Brigham Young University began its free COVID-19 testing. 

On Tuesday, BYU sent an email announcing students can sign up for a COVID-19 screening test free of charge from Wednesday till Saturday. 

These new COVID tests cater specifically to students not experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 and have not tested positive for COVID-19 within the last 90 days. But how does it work?

Before students line up, BYU nursing students receive training to administer the tests and other students receive training to check people in and work on the administrative side of the testing. 

Students show their Healthy Together app passport to get inside. Then they check into reception desks, show their student ID and receive a COVID-19 test kit. They head to their assigned station, where the nursing students explain to them the “short-swab” nasal test. Students pull down their masks and get swabbed. Students get their test results within 30 minutes, or at latest by the end of the day. Thousands of students got tested just on Wednesday.

Many found the test quick, easy and mostly painless. “It wasn’t super bad at all, I thought it was gonna be way worse,” Ryan Ladle said.

“It was fast, efficient, and you get your results back at the end of the day,” Andrew Moss said.

And many got tested for the same reason.

“I’m going to see my sister and her family for Thanksgiving, so I wanted to see if I had it before I saw them,” Amanda Klingonsmith said.

“I got tested because I’m going to a friend’s house for Thanksgiving,” Taegan Keep said.

“I got tested because I’m headed out of town to see family and we wanna make sure everything is safe before we go see family and things like that,” Ladle said.

These tests align with the governor’s executive order for weekly COVID testing for in-person students and BYU’s measures they advise before traveling for Thanksgiving. 

Students can still sign up for testing at the Wilkinson Center, as well at the BYU Health Center and at Test Utah sights. 

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