Students express concern over lack of COVID-19 testing during weekends

Students expressed frustration with the lack of COVID-19 testing on the weekends because the inconveniences it creates, such as having to go off campus.

UCLA offers students two free COVID-19 tests each week. Results are typically available within 24 to 48 hours, except on the weekends when students must wait until the following Monday or Tuesday.

UCLA receives a high volume of COVID-19 tests throughout the week, so testing resources are reserved for Monday through Friday testing, said UCLA spokesperson Bill Kisliuk in an emailed statement.

If students drop their COVID-19 tests in a collection bin before 11 a.m. on Fridays, the result will be available on Saturday, Kisliuk added. If the university receives a test after 11 a.m. on a Friday, UCLA will notify the student of the result between Monday evening and Tuesday evening, he said.

Kisliuk said students can complete a test during the weekend, but their test will not be picked up until Monday morning.

However, the collection bins tell students to not deposit samples after 2 p.m. on Fridays or on weekends. The testing kits also instructs students to deposit their specimen in a collection bin within an hour of collection to ensure the sample remains viable.

[Related: UCLA to offer self-administered COVID-19 tests in on-campus vending machines]

The UCLA Arthur Ashe Student Health and Wellness Center suggests students refer to the Los Angeles County website to find the COVID-19 testing sites closest to them or visit a local in-network urgent care center, Kisliuk said. He added that students without cars can find walk-in testing on the website. Kisliuk also said that many testing sites offer rapid antigen testing and same-day results.

For many students, having to go off campus for a test over the weekend introduces more difficulties.

Aubteen Maroufi, a first-year political science student, said that going off campus for a COVID-19 test may increase the risk of exposing his family to COVID-19.

Maroufi added that students are busy during the week and may not have the time to get tested for COVID-19.

“If push comes to shove, I guess I could, but it’d be a little bit inconvenient,” said James Chen, a third-year applied mathematics student. “If I had to go anywhere other than the hospital right next to campus, that’d be a little bit of a struggle.”

This lack of weekend testing is very different from testing during the week, Chen said.

“The process is pretty smooth over the weekdays,” Chen said. “Over the weekend, there’s a little bit of a hiccup.”

If a student has come into contact with someone who tests positive for COVID-19 and develops symptoms, Kisliuk said, the student should call UCLA’s COVID-19 hotline and leave a message for the Exposure Management Team. Kisliuk added that students who are not fully vaccinated must quarantine.

Students who have interacted with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 should log in to the Ashe Center patient portal and request a self-directed diagnostic test, Kisliuk said. He also said that these students should not attend in-person classes or social activities until they receive a negative test result. If they test positive for COVID-19, the Exposure Management Team will contact them and offer isolation housing on campus.

Kisliuk also said these students should remain at home or in their dorm room until they receive their results, except when necessary for food or medical purposes.

During the Oct. 19 Undergraduate Students Association Council meeting, Megan McEvoy, co-chair of the COVID-19 Response and Recovery Task Force, said isolation housing is available to both on-campus and off-campus students and is free of charge.

Students experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 can consult a medical professional about managing their symptoms. They can call the 24/7 After Hours Nurseline or book a telehealth appointment on LiveHealth Online.

Maroufi said the university should offer COVID-19 testing on campus during the weekends.

“They’re having us do a ton of stuff to be COVID prepared, and that’s good,” Maroufi said. “If we’re doing our part, they should do theirs and offer (COVID-19) testing on the weekends.”