Freeman: ‘Surveillance testing will start next week’

DeKALB — NIU will implement surveillance testing, funded by the university, on campus next week for students in residence halls and face-to-face classes, NIU President Lisa Freeman said Thursday.

NCAA testing for athletes will also continue.

Surveillance testing is a strategy used to test people in a population to understand the spread of COVID-19 and the effectiveness of steps being taken to slow or stop the spread, according to the Protecting the Pack Plan. 

The surveillance testing plan will be released soon, as final details are developing.

NIU will conduct 600 tests per week; however, the first week will be fewer than 600, Freeman said. 

Students will receive notification that they’ve been selected to be tested, and they’ll be given a timeframe to show up at a site on campus to take the test, Freeman said. 

NIU is exploring other modes of surveillance testing, Freeman said. 

“We’re working with the University of Illinois to deploy their tests on our campus, but that won’t happen for at least eight weeks because of how long it’ll take the equipment to be ordered and set up,” Freeman said. “That will decrease the cost, and it will be a slightly easier procedure.” 

NIU is also looking to potentially test wastewater from residence halls and other points in the City of DeKalb, Freeman said. 

“Just as the science on the virus evolves, we’re always trying to take advantage of that to find more better different ways to track the COVID-19 pandemic in our community and also to do it in ways that complement each other and that potentially do it in a more cost effective manner, ” Freeman said.