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.