BUFFALO, N.Y. — With an increase in COVID-19 cases across college and universities in New York State, the SUNY Chancellor is requiring a new testing program across SUNY schools.
State University of New York Chancellor Jim Malatras announced Friday that all SUNY colleges and universities will now have to implement a testing program to continually detect COVID-19 cases on campuses.
“Safely reopening colleges by containing COVID-19 so our students can have academic success is our top priority, and by launching immediate surveillance testing on every campus, we are giving ourselves the best shot to identify the presence of this virus before it can spread further across a campus, possibly infecting hundreds of students, and forcing us to roll back the in-person offerings so many of our students find critical,” said Chancellor Jim Malatras in a press release.
This news comes after the University at Buffalo reported 40 on-campus cases of COVID-19 Friday afternoon. Earlier this week, the university sent an email to all on campus saying that with the increase in cases the school will begin random COVID-19 testing of students, faculty and staff.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo previously stated that colleges in the state that report 100 coronavirus cases, or a number of cases equal to 5% of the student population, will have to go to remote learning for two weeks then re-evaluate.
SUNY Fredonia has also reported 5 new cases of COVID to bring their total up to 50 cases.
That obviously alarms Chautauqua County Health Director Christine Schuyler who spoke with reporters during a briefing on Friday. She said "I think it's only natural that when students first arrive they're excited...and also a sense of being invincible. I think to see that this virus is out there and circulating and very contagious, I hope that will scare them enough that they will take it seriously. And that they could be good role models for other students and even those in the middle and high school grades who look up to them."