UNM COVID-19 testing site allows for targeted testing

A parking lot on the University of New Mexico’s Central Campus has been partially turned into a COVID-19 testing site for students.

“This is a preventative measure as part of our Bring Back the Pack initiative,” said Byron Piatt, the UNM Emergency Manager. “We want to be prepared in the event that we have a student who becomes symptomatic while attending UNM. This site is a way to go ahead and get them tested quickly so as to keep our community safe and minimize risk on campus.”

The site includes several white tents set up in C Lot the Northeast corner of Las Lomas Rd. and Redondo Dr. and is not open to the public.

It is being used to quickly test symptomatic students or students potentially exposed on campus. Students flagged through the school’s Daily Symptom Screening process will receive email communication from UNM or may be directed to obtain testing by Student Health and Counseling (SHAC).

“The process is free to students and we’re getting a 24-hour expedited service from our testing partners,” Piatt said. “We’ve been open for just over a week and we’ve tested about a dozen students. With such low numbers of students reporting to be tested, we believe our cleaning and mitigation processes have been effective so far.”

Students with questions about the testing process can contact SHAC during regular business hours at (505) 277-3136. Faculty and staff with general questions about the UNM COVID-19 response, or interested in volunteering at the testing site, should email the Office of the COVID Coordinator at covidcoordinator@unm.edu.

Additionally, UNM recently rolled out a COVID-19 dashboard to help keep the campus community updated during the pandemic. As part of that effort, students, faculty and staff receive daily emails to report whether they have any symptoms of the disease and whether or not they are intending to come to campus.

UNM is also tracking information on members of its community that test positive for COVID-19, either through services at UNM or self-reported, and are fully cooperating with the State’s Contact Tracing efforts. This combined information allows The University to direct resources to help individuals with needs and enables us to work together to create a safe environment for learning. For more information, visit COVID-19 Dashboard.

Read more about UNM's testing program and plan to safely Bring Back the Pack.

Due to HIPAA and FERPA, and to minimize the number of people physically present at the testing site, UNM is providing this video and sound bites for media use. If you have difficulty downloading the video, contact Rachel Whitt, rwhitt@unm.edu or Marissa Lucero, mlucer9@unm.edu.