As of Sept. 27, 6,846 students and employees have been tested for Covid-19 at Citrus College. Mandatory COVID-19 testing began on Sept. 13 for students and employees.
Out of the 4,534 students tested, only three students returned positive tests. None of the 2,312 employees had a positive test.
Director of Human Resources Robert Sammis said in an email the three students who tested positive were unvaccinated, and other COVID-19 cases on campus have mostly been among unvaccinated people.
If students have a positive on-campus test, the college nurse meets with them and goes over next steps, Sammis said.
Testing is free for everyone at Citrus, and mandatory regardless of vaccination status. The cost of one test is about $10, not including the labor cost of the test site, Sammis said.
Citrus College notifies students and employees of any COVID-19 cases on campus via email. People who test positive are given written instructions on what to do next. In addition, students and employees who were in close contact with the COVID-19 case are notified and provided direction on what to do, Sammis said.
Nicole Peterson, a professional expert assigned to the Student Health Center, said if a student tests positive, the student fills out a form for the contact tracing and then the school is notified.
Students must do a daily pre-screening on the CitrusMobile app every day before they come to campus. They will receive a red pass if they fail the test. With a red pass, a student will not be able to go inside a college building or a classroom, Sammis said.
People must quarantine for 10 days if they test positive for Covid-19, Peterson said. Students and employees are encouraged to stay home if they don’t feel well but will be allowed on campus if they test negative.
