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UW’s COVID Testing Program to Halt at Semester’s End

April 13, 2022 – The University of Wyoming Board of Trustees has adopted a COVID-19 plan for the summer, including an end to the university’s random-sample testing program.

Throughout this academic year, 3 percent of on-campus employees and students have been tested each week to monitor the prevalence of the virus at UW, with samples collected by UW employees and processed at the Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory. That program will end May 6, with voluntary testing available May 9-11 during finals week.

Diagnostic testing will continue to be available to students through UW’s Student Health Service. Employees can procure diagnostic testing and home test kits at local retail stores, pharmacies and health care providers.

In addition to ending its testing program, UW will sunset its public COVID dashboard and will no longer provide contract tracing efforts after the spring semester. Quarantine and isolation housing still will be available for students in the residence halls, but not in other UW-owned apartments or properties.

As has been the case since Feb. 21, masks are not required in UW facilities, except health care settings. And they’ll only be recommended if Albany County returns to a high COVID transmission level. Masks continue to be required on UW Transit Service buses, in accordance with federal rules that currently are set to expire May 3.

UW continues to strongly recommend COVID-19 vaccination and boosters, which have been proven to be highly effective and safe -- and effective in preventing severe illness and hospitalization, even with Omicron and its highly transmissible BA.2 subvariant.

UW’s only vaccination requirement -- in accordance with a federal rule -- is for employees of health care units, with religious and medical exemptions available.