Stay up to date with UGA Campus communications and efforts to reduce the spread of COVID-19: coronavirus.uga.edu
COVID-19 Health and Exposure Updates
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Georgia Department of Public Health
The campus awaits your return with optimism and readiness to demonstrate to ourselves and our community that we are all committed to doing our part to keep our students, faculty, staff and Athens community members safe and healthy.
A critical part of our UGA campus safety plan includes providing students, faculty, and staff who are asymptomatic, access to free COVID 19 testing as part of our campus wide mitigation efforts. Please read below for more details.
University of Georgia’s University Health Center will be one of the recipients of COVID-19 vaccine. We will follow CDC guidelines on administering these vaccinations. More details will follow on when, how and whom will receive vaccine as it is received.
More information from the CDC
Read the Archnews: Update on COVID-19 Vaccinations
COVID-19 Vaccine FAQs -- UGA-related
Vaccinations are highly encouraged. View the list of UHC recommendations
Students not feeling well and showing symptoms (symptomatic) or with exposure and no symptoms (asymptomatic) - Make an appointment with your assigned UHC Primary Care Clinic or call 706-542-1162.
Symptomatic UGA faculty/staff should contact their community PCP for care.
All UGA community (Faculty, Staff, Students) that are healthy and showing no symptoms (asymptomatic) - COVID Surveillance Asymptomatic Testing at Legion Field – schedule your test online.
UGA will be conducting free "Asymptomatic testing" to help identify individuals who do not have COVID-19 symptoms but who may spread the virus to others. Testing will be voluntary and at no cost to participants.
Before returning to campus in the spring, all faculty, staff and students are encouraged to take a COVID-19 test and self-quarantine at home. From Jan. 4 – Jan. 22, capacity at the University’s surveillance testing site at Legion Field and pop-up locations across campus will be expanded to accommodate up to 1,500 tests per day (1,000 per day at Legion Field and 500 via pop-up locations).
The testing site is located at Legion Field directly across Lumpkin Street from the Tate Center. Parking is available at the Tate Center Parking Deck or the Hull Street Parking Deck. When you arrive at the Legion Field COVID-19 Testing Site, access to the testing site will be clearly marked at the entrance to Legion Pool (which will remain closed). Appointments are by reservation only, currently, to ensure social distancing and to avoid unnecessary wait times.
Legion Field Surveillance Testing Parking:
Free 30-minute parking at the Tate Center Parking Deck remains available for UGA students, faculty, and staff participating in surveillance testing at Legion Field. Please note that with the Tate Center Parking Deck’s recent transition to a License Plate Recognition (LPR) system, those parking at the Tate Center for testing need to alert the parking attendant upon entering the deck. Participants will receive a parking pass to display on their vehicle to avoid a citation. If you have question about parking, please contact the One Stop Shop at 706-542-7275.
FREE, Walk-in, Asymptomatic-only testing for all UGA Community
Do not eat, drink, or smoke/chew tobacco 30 minutes before the test.
Bring your UGA ID.
In partnership with the College of Public Health and AU/UGA
UHC provides primary, wellness and specialty care by appointment only. All UHC services are open and ready to assist you with your needs. Please call 706-542-1162 to schedule an appointment. We are open Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm (Pharmacy: M-F 8am-6pm and Sun 10am-5pm).
We are taking all the necessary precautions to assure the safety of our patients and staff. We have protocols in place for advance screening, extra appointment time, extra cleaning before, between patients, mandated masks, social distancing where we are able; see more below.
After hours nurse line*: If you are a patient of the University Health Center and wish to speak with a nurse for illness or injury advice, call 855-622-1909.
*Please note* This after-hours advice service is available only when UHC is closed. Call your 706-542-1162 during regular clinic hours.
UHC Pharmacy - Open for walk-in service for prescriptions and over-the-counter medications. We are also happy to bring your medications outside if you prefer; please park in the UHC parking lot, call 706-542-9979, and a pharmacy staff member will deliver your order to your car. To avoid delays, please order your refills prior to arrival.
*Open Monday-Friday, 8am - 6pm
*Open Sundays 10am - 5pm
UHC Vision Clinic – in-person visits are available by appointment only. Retail/repair services require an appointment. Contact orders may be made by phone or online thru the clinic's online store.
Each of the following services provide a telehealth option for care.
Counseling and Psychiatric Services (CAPS)
UHC Health Promotion / the Fontaine Center
Effective Jan. 26, 2021, the CDC will require all air passengers entering the United States provide written documentation of a negative COVID-19 viral test within 72 hours of flight departure. Up to date information regarding this new testing requirement can be found here on the CDC’s website. Individuals arriving from international travel should continue to take extra steps to monitor their health for 14 days after returning from travel. Please visit the CDC’s travel website for post-international travel guidance. Check your symptoms each day through DawgCheck. If you are experiencing symptoms associated with COVID contact the University Health Center by calling 706-542-1162.
CDC Guidance States:
Requirement for Proof of Negative COVID-19 Test or Recovery from COVID-19 for All Air Passengers Arriving in the United States | CDC
After You Travel:
Always follow state and local recommendations or requirements related to travel.
The University of Georgia is committed to a safe environment for its faculty, students, and staff.
As a part of our commitment, we ask that you use the DawgCheck site to:
If you are a student and are experiencing symptoms associated with COVID contact the University Health Center by calling 706-542-1162.
If you are an employee, you should contact your Primary Care Provider for guidance.
Students who believe they have been directly exposed to COVID-19 and are showing symptoms should seek care from the University Health Center. Please self-isolate until you can be assessed and do not walk in.
Student Care and Outreach can help with various means of support and the Health Center can assist with medical assessment and testing.
Students who become ill should also remain off campus or stay in their dorm. When sick one should assume that COVID is possible and isolate until an accurate assessment of the cause can be determined. Isolation, similar to quarantine, requires that you remain out of contact with others and limit movement in public. Isolation and the support needed to accomplish it is best achieved off campus or at a permanent residence
For everyone’s safety the Health Center is seeing patients (students) by appointment only. For respiratory complaints we will often schedule a telehealth visit via Zoom through which we can determine how best to arrange for both care and testing. To make an appointment via telehealth or in person please call 706-542-1162, or, if you know it use your primary care team’s number.
All others (Faculty, Staff) please contact your primary healthcare provider and follow the CDC guidelines to reducing the spread of the virus.
The College of Public Health has developed and will continue to update a guide to local testing sites for faculty and staff. Note: Only PCR nasal test sites are listed here, as this is the accepted diagnostic tool used to determine if a person has the virus and is at risk of spreading it to others.
publichealth.uga.edu/coronavirus/local-testing/
It is required that you report a positive test through the DawgCheck tool on the UGA App or at dawgcheck.uga.edu.
Student Care and Outreach will be in touch with students for next steps.
Anyone testing positive should follow these steps immediately:
Employees, Faculty and Students who believe they have been in close contact with someone with COVID-19 but are not showing symptoms should self-quarantine for 14 days from the last contact, consistent with DPH and CDC guidelines.
ALL UGA community (Faculty, Staff, Students) that have had exposure to COVID-19 and no symptoms (asymptomatic) - schedule a test at COVID Surveillance Asymptomatic Testing at Legion Field.
UGA will be conducting free "Asymptomatic testing" to help identify individuals who do not have COVID-19 symptoms but who may spread the virus to others. Testing will be voluntary and at no cost to participants. UGA plans for 24,000 tests to be conducted by Thanksgiving at a rate of 300 tests per day.
Asymptomatic testing does not replace testing or medical care for those who do have symptoms. If you are a student and have symptoms, you can go to UHC for evaluation and testing. If you are a UGA faculty/staff and are symptomatic you should contact your community PCP for care.