After battling positive COVID-19 cases throughout the fall, thousands of Sacred Heart and Fairfield University students are set to return to their campuses over the next couple of weeks.

University and town officials say they are ready to stop the spread of COVID-19 before it starts.

"We've been looking at what we did last semester and our response to a variety of issues and how we're going to adjust and apply that to this semester,” said Gary MacNamara, the public safety director at Sacred Heart.

First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick said both universities are moving on-campus students back in in shifts and with plenty of testing.

She said, “all students will be tested prior to coming back” and will be tested regularly on campuses.

"We're protecting the public and we're protecting the students, because the students are part of our community and we want to make sure everybody's safe," she said.

Fairfield University students will be tested at least every other week whether they're living in the dorms or not. Sacred Heart officials want to test students every week, even if they are asymptomatic.

The first Sacred Heart students are set to move back into their dorms on Jan. 18. Fairfield University students will start moving in Jan. 21.