DeKALB — A free drive-through COVID-19 testing site will be available to students, NIU employees and DeKalb residents from Nov.16 to Nov. 18 to help curb the spread of the coronavirus prior to Thanksgiving break.

The Illinois Department of Public Health, the DeKalb County Health Department and NIU partnered together to provide free testing for the three days, according to a Thursday email from President Lisa Freeman. The free testing will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Anderson Hall parking lot, 520 Garden Road.

Results from COVID-19 tests will be available in four to seven days, and more information will be released soon, according to the email. 

Freeman said for the remainder of the semester, those who travel will be strongly encouraged, but not required, to self-quarantine or limit their contact with others for 14 days after returning from areas identified on the City of Chicago’s COVID-19 Emergency Travel Order site.

Students who aren’t returning to their residence halls after Thanksgiving break need to notify their community advisors and sign up for a checkout time to return their keys to the front desk prior to leaving for break.

When classes resume in January, students will be required to get tested for COVID-19 prior to moving back in. Free testing options will be available for students returning back to campus, according to the email. 

Surveillance testing will pause for the week of Nov. 23 and will resume for all required students, faculty and staff the week of Nov. 30 through Dec. 8, according to the email. Surveillance testing will begin again for the spring semester.