LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — The University of Kentucky is moving forward with new COVID-19 testing policies that will impact the unvaccinated members of the community. President Eli Capilouto announced these new policies in an email Sunday night.
As of Monday, April 4, unvaccinated students and staff will no longer be required to test weekly for the virus. However, this change does not apply to UK Healthcare employees.
President Capilouto says cases are dropping, and more than 90% of campus is vaccinated—both indicators it’s safe to adjust testing policies.
It was welcome news for students like junior James Robertson, who’s been getting tested weekly all year long.
“You don't have to worry about it every week,” he said. “It's not really beneficial, if you're not testing positive and not feeling sick or anything. They just want you to get tested because they want you to get vaccinated, so it's a relief.”
It also appears testing sites on campus are also slowing down. At one location in the student center, Wild Health employees said only 21 appointments were scheduled for Monday. A few weeks ago, they were testing an average of 200 students each day.
Masks are still required in some areas of campus including classrooms, labs, offices, and meetings.
