The University of Maine Orono campus is about to become one of the busiest COVID-19 testing sites in the region this week, as 6,000 students return to campus, beginning Monday.
Robert Dana, the dean of students at UMaine, says the school plans to test about 1,000 students each day as they arrive, through Saturday.
"The students will go through a large six-bay tent, where they will be rapidly tested and then they will await in their rooms, where they will self-quarantine, for their results, which we hope to have back in a maximum time of 48 hours."
Traditional welcoming events to help get the students moved in will not take place this year. And as at other schools, students must adhere to social distancing rulesand the use of face coverings at all times while on campus. Visits between members of different residential halls are prohibited, and students are being asked to leave campus only for necessities, such as medical treatment or a job.
Meanwhile, health officials continue to trace the origins ofthree cases of COVID-19detected among UMaine students on Friday. As of Sunday afternoon, no new cases had been found. Seventeen people are in quarantine pending test results.
