Residents of two Columbia University residences should undergo immediate COVID-19 testing after the virus is detected in the building’s wastewater, according to a campus establishment.
Those who refuse to be examined may be evicted from campus housing, officials said in a note Monday.
“The presence of Covid-19 has been detected in the wastewater of both the Broadway residence and the Wien residence through Columbia’s enhanced campus testing program,” school staff wrote Monday.
More municipalities are testing wastewater to monitor the prevalence of COVID-19 among specific populations.
Bergen County, which began testing wastewater in partnership with Columbia last year, reported high levels of coronavirus in wastewater on Tuesday, according to a report.
Columbia’s new coronavirus alarm was sent out after two people tested positive for the virus at another campus residence last week.
“When a student decides not to meet Columbia requirements, they endanger both the well-being of the community and their own privilege of living on campus,” the note states. “Students who violate the Columbia Community Health Pact and the test requirement will be referred to Dean’s Discipline, which may result in the loss of housing on campus.”
Students must sign a “compact” describing coronavirus-related practices on the Manhattan campus.
These include “participating in testing and contact tracking when necessary, and isolation and quarantine protocols, when necessary,” according to the document.
