Provost Noel Wilkin announced in an email that the university will begin offering free asymptomatic COVID-19 testing as outbreaks continue to rise at the University of Mississippi. Active campus outbreaks are now up to 24, and active confirmed cases are up to 270, according to the UM COVID-19 dashboard. 

Faculty, staff and students can fill out an eligibility survey that they will receive through email and can schedule appointments on an app. Wilkin’s email did not specify which app he was referring to or if it was a mobile app.

All testing will be held in the Ford Center parking lot, and people with appointments can choose to drive through or walk to a testing area.

People who get tested will receive their results through the same unnamed app. The responses to the survey and the results of tests will be kept private. 

This new test offering comes after the Centers for Disease Control recently updated its guidelines and now says that people who come into close contact with someone who tests positive do not need to get a test unless they develop symptoms or their care provider or local health department advises them to.