Last Updated: January 6, 2023
The purpose of Tulane’s comprehensive and ongoing testing program is to swiftly identify and isolate all positive individuals and to quarantine all close contacts to contain the potential spread of COVID-19.
The test uses a RT-PCR method approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). The test is performed by the Molecular Pathology Laboratory at the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine of Tulane University School of Medicine. The laboratory is certified under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) and accredited by the College of American Pathologists (CAP) to perform high-complexity testing. Results from all testing conducted by Tulane’s Molecular Pathology Lab, including numbers of tests and positive results, is shared with the Louisiana Department of Health, and is reflected in state and city reporting.
About TestingTesting Locations
Testing FrequencyContact Tracing
About Testing
Spring 2023
We will continue to conduct symptomatic testing and contact tracing of positive cases but will discontinue our random sample, asymptomatic surveillance testing. We will also continue to provide testing for individuals who intend to travel or have recently returned from traveling. Community testing will continue for family and friends but there will be a fee for this.
- Effective August 8 randomized asymptomatic COVID-19 testing will be discontinued. This means that QR codes will no longer be emailed and the Phelps Testing Center on the uptown campus and the LaSalle Testing Center on the downtown campus will close. Symptomatic, close contact, and travel testing will move to the Uptown Student Health Center and Tulane Living Well Clinics.
- Residential students who test positive for COVID-19 will isolate in place in their residence hall rather than in off-campus hotel rooms. We have developed a guide to help students do this as safely as possible. We recognize how disruptive the off-site COVID isolation practices were for our students and are pleased to be in a position to move away from this practice.
We will continue to require new members of our community, including students, faculty and staff, to show proof of vaccination and the appropriate booster shots. More information about Tulane’s COVID vaccination policy can be found here. Faculty, staff and students who are immunocompromised or those who are unvaccinated are encouraged to take necessary steps to minimize their risk, including masking and frequent testing.
All undergraduate, graduate and professional students will be required to take a COVID (PCR or antigen) test before they return to Tulane in the spring. Instructions for uploading test results can be found here. Students who test positive should complete the COVID Reporting Form and a Case Manager will contact them to work through any adjustments that may need to be made relative to their arrival.
Do not call or email Campus Health to schedule testing. For questions about testing, email CHTestResults@tulane.edu.
Testing Locations
Symptomatic, close contact and travel testing will move to the Uptown Student Health Center and Tulane Living Well Clinics.
Locations/Times for Symptomatic, Close Contact and Travel Testing:
Uptown Student Health Center
Located on the corner of Willow St. and Newcomb Place
Come to the front of the building and check in with nurse at the second door of the Health Center when you arrive.
Hours of Testing: Monday – Friday 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (closed for lunch noon to 1 p.m.).
Walk-ups are welcome. No appointment is needed.
Available to Students.
Downtown Tulane Living Well Occupational Health Clinic
Hutchinson Building Rm 1810 (The Old Bookstore)
Walk-ins are welcome, no appointment necessary.
Please use the Lasalle St. entrance and bring your Splash ID.
Hours: Monday - Friday 1:30pm-2:30pm.
Available to both Students and Employees.
Uptown Tulane Living Well Clinic
200 Broadway, Suite 108. Rear entrance.
Drive-ups are welcome, no appointment necessary.
Please use the back parking lot and ring the bell for assistance.
Hours: Monday - Friday 9am-10am
Available to Employees.
Testing Frequency
Spring 2023
Effective August 8 randomized asymptomatic COVID-19 testing will be discontinued. This means that QR codes will no longer be emailed and the Phelps Testing Center on the uptown campus and the LaSalle Testing Center on the downtown campus will close. Symptomatic, close contact, and travel testing will move to the Uptown Student Health Center and Tulane Living Well Clinics. Community testing will continue for family and friends but there will be a fee for this.
Contact Tracing
Tulane’s contact tracing protocols are guided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and local public health agencies and utilize the Johns Hopkins model. The goal of contact tracing is to swiftly identify close contacts to those who have tested positive with COVID-19 to prevent transmission.
If a member of the Tulane community tests positive for COVID-19 at a Tulane Testing Center, the Student Health Center or the Living Well Clinic, they will be contacted by a Tulane Contact Tracer. Tulane Contact Tracers will interview the COVID-19 positive person to identify close contacts, help monitor symptoms and provide resources to support isolation.
If a member of the Tulane community receives notice of a positive result from an outside healthcare provider, they must complete the COVID-19 Reporting Form so that contact tracing can be implemented. Employees should immediately notify their supervisor. If an employee is unable to complete the form due to illness, a supervisor can complete it on their behalf. Additional resources may be triggered following submission of the form.
Tulane Contact Tracers will call members of the Tulane Community who may have closely interacted with the person who tested positive. The names of contacts not affiliated with Tulane will not be contacted by Tulane Contact Tracers. Tulane Campus Health will coordinate with the Louisiana Department of Health to notify non-affiliates.
Tulane Contact Tracers will not share the identity of the person who tested positive with the contacts.
CDC guidance provides specific criteria to guide contact tracing notifications. Please do not take actions (e.g. cancel classes, send entire groups of people home) that impact a wide array of people. Tulane Contact Tracers will advise Human Resources regarding necessary actions.
For questions about contact tracing, email CHContactTrace@tulane.edu.
Quarantine & Isolation
During Spring 2023, Tulane will not provide isolation space on or off-campus for students who test positive for COVID-19. Additionally, Tulane will have no quarantine space for students who are close contacts.
Students in isolation or quarantine will continue their coursework remotely. A case manager from the Dean of Students Office-Student Resources & Support Services will be assigned to each student to assist the student if necessary.
Currently, the Centers for Disease Control and Louisiana Department of Health guidelines call for a combination of a symptom-based & test-based strategy for determining when isolation or quarantine should be discontinued. Tulane is following these guidelines.
Isolation Guidelines:
If a person is asymptomatic, isolation can end 5 days after the positive test. If the person is experiencing symptoms, isolation can end 5 days following either symptom onset or the first positive test if the positive individual has been symptom free, without fever-reducing medication, for 24 hours. Those who have tested positive DO NOT need to get a test for 90 days after their initial positive test unless they begin experiencing new symptoms.
Quarantine Guidelines:
Being exposed to COVID-19 means you were in close contact with a person who has tested positive for COVID-19, and you may need to quarantine.
A close contact is defined as being within 6 feet of someone infected with COVID-19 for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more within a 24-hour period while they were infectious (that’s the period starting 2 days before their symptoms started or, if they don’t have symptoms, before they were tested).
This applies even if you are vaccinated or were wearing a mask. This means that for those living on campus, roommates will likely be a close contact.
Close contacts who are fully vaccinated or have had COVID-19 in the last 90 days and have DO NOT symptoms:
- You do not need to quarantine as long as you remain symptom-free.
- You should take a PCR test 5 days after your last exposure. If the person you were exposed to is someone who lives in your household and you are not able to separate from them, your last day of exposure is the last day you were (or will be) exposed to them during their isolation period.
- Monitor yourself for symptoms of COVID-19 for 10 days after you were last exposed to COVID-19. If you develop symptoms, please follow the guidance below for what to do if you are fully vaccinated OR had COVID-19 in the last 90 days AND have COVID-19 symptoms.
- If you test positive, complete the COVID-19 Reporting Form. You will receive information about isolation, ending isolation, returning to in-person activities, and medical care.
Close contacts who are fully vaccinated or have had COVID-19 in the last 90 days and DO have symptoms
- Begin quarantining and complete the COVID-19 Reporting Form. Contact Tracing will reach out and schedule your PCR test for day 5.
- If you test positive, complete the COVID-19 Reporting Form. You will receive information about isolation, ending isolation, returning to in-person activities, and medical care.
- If you test negative you can end your quarantine but, you should test again 5 days after your last exposure to the positive person. If the person you were exposed to is someone who lives in your household and you are not able to separate from them, your last day of exposure is the last day you were (or will be) exposed to them during their isolation period.
Close contacts who are unvaccinated and have not have COVID-19 in the last 90 days: Quarantine duration is 5 days from date of last exposure.
Tulane students and employees will be discharged from quarantine on day 6 if the following criteria are met:
- They get a COVID-19 test on day 5 of quarantine which comes back with a negative result. A PCR test is the ONLY type of test that will be accepted to discharge someone from quarantine.
- They are not experiencing any COVID-19 like symptoms on day 5 of quarantine.
- Those who discharge from quarantine should continue wearing a mask in public until day 10.
If someone is experiencing symptoms on day 5 of their quarantine, the quarantine period will be extended by 5 days for a total of 10 days. A person can discharge early from their 10-day quarantine if the following criteria is met:
- No symptoms or fever in the last 24 hours and no use of fever reducing medication.
Those who discharge from quarantine should continue wearing a mask in public until day 10.
After a person is discharged from their quarantine, they should still (per the CDC):
- Watch for symptoms until 10 days after exposure.
- If symptoms occur, immediately set up an appointment with either the Student Health Center or their medical provider.
- Take steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19 such as: wearing a mask, staying at least 6 feet apart from others, washing their hands and avoiding crowds.
Students that are quarantining on or off campus will be required to receive their day 5 COVID-19 tests through Tulane. Tests conducted outside of Tulane will not be accepted to discharge a student from quarantine. Students will be scheduled to receive a COVID-19 test at the Student Health Center on day 5 of their quarantine.
No testing will occur on Sundays or on University Holidays at the Health Center during Fall 2022. If a student’s day 5 test should occur on a Sunday or on a University Holiday, it will be scheduled for the next day the Health Center is open.
Contact tracers from Campus Health are notified of all COVID-19 positive tests completed through the Tulane System immediately. If students, faculty or staff get tested outside the Tulane System and receive a positive result, it is important to complete a COVID-19 Reporting Form as quickly as possible to notify contact tracers.
To help better understand when you should be in isolation or quarantine, visit the CDC website.