COVID-19 Information

Any student, regardless of vaccination status, who has had close contact with someone with COVID-19, should obtain a home COVID test 5 days after the exposure.  See our Isolation Guidelines for more details.

Stay home and follow Western’s COVID-19 Isolation Guidelines.

Unfortunately, the Student Health Center no longer provides COVID testing for students without symptoms.  You are encouraged to obtain a home test to check your COVID status.

• Stay home for 5 days and away from others.
• End isolation on day 6 or later if you never had symptoms or if you are fever-free for 24 hours and other symptoms are resolving.
• Day 6 through day 10: wear a mask OR use 2 negative antigen tests to decide when to stop wearing a mask.
• If your symptoms have resolved, a COVID test after leaving isolation is not required to return to classes or to participate in on campus activities unless requested by a medical professional or your employer.
• If you still have symptoms after 5 days, continue to stay home for day 6 through day 10.  If your symptoms have not resolved or are worsening after 10 days, contact the Student Health Center for further guidance.
• Do not go to places where you are unable to wear a mask, such as restaurants and some gyms, and avoid eating around others at home and at work until a full 10 days has passed since your positive test or your first day of symptoms.

• Watch for symptoms for 10 days.   If you develop symptoms, get a test, and stay home.
• Wear a mask around others for 10 days.
• Test 5 days after exposure (or sooner if you have symptoms).  If you test positive, isolate and see guidance above
• Take extra precautions for 10 days around people more likely to get very sick.

A close contact is anyone who was within 6 feet of an infected person for a total of 15 minutes or more. An infected person can spread COVID-19 starting from 48 hours (or 2 days) before the person has any symptoms or tests positive for COVID-19. A person is still considered a close contact even if they were wearing a mask while they were around someone with COVID-19.

If you live in the same house or dorm room and had contact with the positive individual during their infectious period, you are considered a close contact.

Yes!  College students residing on or off campus may request free testing kits. Students with shared housing addresses (residence halls, apartment buildings, group housing) should each enter their unique room or apartment number, and/or letter A, B, C, D, etc. along with their street address on the ordering form (or via phone).

Most COVID-19 home test kits have received expiration extensions from the FDA. To see if your COVID19 Test Kit has an expiration extension, see the List of Authorized At-Home OTC COVID-19 Diagnostic Tests.

If you have a disability, you can call the Disability Information & Access Line (DIAL) at 1-888-677-1199 for assistance ordering tests and accessing other COVID-19 services.