Last week, the University of Maryland officially launch our public COVID-19 campus dashboard that will provide our community with transparent and timely data about the prevalence of COVID-19 within our campus, based on UMD-administered testing.

The dashboard will provide critical metrics, including UMD tests administered by week and cumulatively; new positive cases by week; positivity rate for UMD-administered tests; campus density measures; and quarantine and isolation bed availability. The metrics will be updated weekly and are an important part of our ongoing efforts to monitor and counteract the spread of the virus. I encourage every member of our community to visit the dashboard to stay informed on COVID-19’s presence on our campus.

As a reminder, all students, faculty and staff are required to take a COVID-19 test within 14 days prior to returning to campus. Students will also be required to be tested after arriving on campus. Before their return to campus, students may be tested locally, or participate in one of the university’s free campus testing events taking place at Maryland Stadium.

The UMD will be testing more than 6,000 Terps this week; and registration is still open for testing the weeks of August 24 (registration deadline: today) and August 31 (registration deadline: August 26). The UMD is urging any members of the university community to return to campus to find information about testing sites in their area or register for free on-campus testing as soon as possible.

Before arrival to campus or the College Park area, students will need to provide the university with confirmation of a negative COVID-19 test result, which can be uploaded at return.umd.edu. If a student tests positive, the student will be required to stay at home, follow CDC guidance, and be cleared by the students’ healthcare provider before coming to campus. Find additional information about COVID-19 testing requirements and answers to frequently asked questions.

To slow the spread of the virus, every student, faculty, and staff member is be expected to adhere to healthy behaviors:

  • Wear a face-covering at all times indoors, and outdoors when other people are nearby; (additional information about wearing a mask or face covering on campus is available, including when a face covering should be worn, acceptable face coverings, how to properly wear and care for them, and the availability of face coverings for the campus community)
  • Wash hands frequently and practice good personal hygiene;
  • Practice physical distancing by staying at least 6 feet apart from others; and
  • Stay home if you feel sick, and report symptoms to the University Health Center and your personal doctor.