UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON REGISTERED STUDENT ORGANIZATION COVID-19 POLICY FOR 2020-2021 ACADEMIC YEAR EVENTS AND MEETINGS March 3, 2021
Updated, March 2, 2021; Effective, March 8, 2021
The University of Wisconsin–Madison’s event attendance and space occupancy limits are reviewed periodically as Public Health Madison Dane County (PHMDC) issues updated public health guidance for gathering and event sizes. Effective March 8, 2021, we are implementing PHMDC Emergency Order #13 related to university affiliated events on or off campus with one exception: the university is not allowing food or drinks at events. In addition, only those individuals who are participating in our on-campus testing program will be permitted to attend university-sponsored events.
The University of Wisconsin has ramped up COVID-19 testing this semester, requiring students to show a green badge on their phone indicating a negative test result within 72 hours of entering any building on campus.
UW announced protocols for more frequent testing on Nov. 5 which went into effect Feb. 10, costing the university $30 million as it expanded the number of testing sites on campus from 12 to 14. The new testing arrangement also required the university to hire additional staff for testing sites, including Badger Wellness Ambassadors who check students’ phones for the Safer Badgers green badge before students can enter any indoor campus facility such as the gyms, libraries or unions.
Meet the people who make Safer Badgers work, part 3
It’s a big job to help keep campus safe through the pandemic.
As part of UW–Madison’s Safer Badgers effort, people are needed to answer questions over phone and email, staff the testing sites, support the app, manage building access and more.
Meet some of the people who make this effort work and help keep our whole campus community safe.
Ryan, front desk supervisor at Sellery Hall
As a front desk supervisor at Sellery Hall, Ryan takes pride in helping create a warm, friendly environment at one of the largest dorms on campus, with over 1,100 students who call Sellery home.
Employee update: Building access enforcement starts Wednesday Feb. 10 February 3, 2021
FAQs on building access
In this second week of the spring semester, we continue to be grateful for the campus community’s commitment to expanded COVID-19 testing requirements. About 51,000 people have now signed into the new Safer Badgers app, and we are averaging just over 4,800 tests per day at our campus sites. Test results are coming back faster and fewer samples are being rejected.
The employees at our testing sites and behind the scenes are working diligently to make the process as safe and easy as possible. We appreciate your patience and understanding as you interact with them. It’s a big job helping to keep campus safe during a pandemic; meet a few of these workers.
Concerns regarding the roll out of the new saliva-based testing and the implementation of the Safer Badgers app arise as students’ test out new Spring 2021 COVID-19 protocols