This fall, roughly 1,600 fully vaccinated faculty and staff are currently required to participate in weekly surveillance testing, based on the student-facing nature of their positions.

As of Oct. 4, all faculty and staff who are not mandated to test may choose to opt in to weekly, scheduled testing, part of Cornell's continuing adaption to manage and control the COVID-19 pandemic.

Unlike supplemental testing, which is on-demand and occasional, surveillance testing offers employees weekly scheduled testing. Once a faculty or staff member decides to participate in weekly surveillance testing, they can opt out, but they won’t be able to opt in a second time. To register for this option, individuals can visit the Daily Check app and select the “opt in to scheduled surveillance testing” button.

“The pandemic is always evolving,” said Gary Koretzky, vice provost for academic integration and a professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine. “We’re learning more and we always want to be mindful about new things that are being discovered. First and foremost, safety drives our policies.”

Anyone with questions about surveillance testing can contact the COVID-19 Support Center at 607-253-7500.