Northwestern will resume COVID-19 testing with Color on Mar. 1 after winter storm-related test shipment delays prompted the University to pause testing with the company, according to a Friday email. Starting Monday, students are once again required to take one Color test and one rapid antigen test each week.

When inclement weather prompted a “two-week shutdown” of FedEx and UPS, the University shifted to relying solely on the rapid testing run by Abbott. According to the email, 15,000 rapid tests were administered across the Northwestern community last week.

During the shipping lapse, Northwestern conducted the fewest amount of tests per week since freshmen and sophomores first returned to campus, which contributed to a positivity rate of 5.95 percent over the weekend. Over the past week, the University reported a 0.45 percent positivity rate and the largest amount of tests administered in a single week so far.  

Testing pick-up and drop-off sites will also begin to reopen the week of Mar. 8. 

“More than 95% of undergraduate students have been compliant each week with their testing protocols,” the email read. “We hope this increased testing will continue to level-off the number of positive cases we see and leave us in a position where we can increase in-person engagement opportunities in the Spring.”

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Twitter: @meganmuncie

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