The University at Buffalo is reporting 91 confirmed positive COVID-19 cases, with 43 of them considered to be included in the on-campus population of students, faculty, staff.
In an effort to keep the number of cases down, the school says they will begin randomly testing both faculty and staff using their saliva. The testing will be pooled, and individuals will be able to test themselves by simple swapping their mouths for 10-15 seconds.
Right now, UB is not saying whether people are able to opt out of the testing or what would happen if they did.
New York State Department of Health's guidance states that colleges and universities must transition to remote learning when 100 members of the on-campus population test positive for COVID-19 within a 14-day period.
The university released a statement addressing the situation, saying in part:
"On Friday, we are beginning a round of surveillance testing of students, faculty and staff, starting with our on-campus students. We're hopeful that this testing, along with strict adherence to the university's health guidelines, will curb potential outbreaks going forward.
"The university is aware that the NYS Department of Health's guidance states that colleges and universities must transition all in-person learning to remote when 100 members of the on-campus population - inclusive of students, faculty, and staff - test positive for COVID-19 within a 14-day period. According to this guidance, 40 of the 78 active cases at UB are characterized as on-campus, and, thus, would count toward the 100 metric."
