Gov. Evers announces $32 million for COVID-19 testing at UW System campuses

The release said the UW System will receive $24 million toward its COVID-19 plan, helping campuses to test symptomatic students, those who have had close contact with symptomatic students and students living in residence halls.

MADISON - Gov. Tony Evers has announced more than $32 million in financial assistance to the University of Wisconsin System and the University of Wisconsin-Madison as they prepare to welcome students back to campus this fall -- with the UW System prepared to test up to 350,000 students.

Officials with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee announced earlier in the summer that residence halls like Cambridge Commons would be reopening in the fall, but with necessary precautions in place. The new testing initiative will address just that -- in an effort to stop the spread of the virus in the dorms.

UW System Interim President Tommy Thompson

"We're doing everything we possibly can think of to open up safely," said UW System Interim President Tommy Thompson.

According to a news release Thursday, Aug. 6, the $32 million is in addition to the $18.9 million the governor allocated from Wisconsin’s portion of the CARES Act to UW System campuses and the $95.6 million UW System institutions received directly through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund under the CARES Act.

The effort is funded by CARES Act dollars provided directly to Wisconsin. UW System will receive $24 million toward its COVID-19 plan, helping campuses to test symptomatic students, those who have had close contact with symptomatic students, and students living in residence halls. Under UW System’s plan, state funding will help purchase 276,000 tests, 246,000 of which will be allocated to campuses and 30,000 of which will be held in reserve by UW System for peaks or shortfalls. The funding will also help cover personal protective equipment and staff for administering tests.

Similarly, UW-Madison, which previously announced its COVID-19 testing plan, will receive $8.3 million from Wisconsin’s CARES Act allocation for testing, equipment, staff, and personal protective equipment to support their efforts to test symptomatic individuals, those who have had close contact with symptomatic individuals, and students living in residence halls. State support will help UW-Madison purchase 134,000 tests.

"You'll take the test, and we'll have that results back within 15 minutes," said Thompson. "You take a swab, and it's gotta be sent to the laboratory, and that's the one that comes back in about 48 hours."

Two college seniors said they're relieved to know their schools are taking students' health and well being seriously.

"I know like, my experience, even just on my floor, everyone would get sick at the same time, so I can't imagine what's going to happen with this," said Emma Sampson, UW-La Crosse. "This is a pandemic and we have to take the proper precautions."

"I'm going to stay away from all of the busy spots," said Sydney Elliott, UWM. "I won't be going to the library."

UWM officials released this statement:

"The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee has been working with the City of Milwaukee Health Department to test students with symptoms of COVID-19 and students who have been in close contact with them. We also have been looking to expand our capacity for testing these students and have established relationships with Ascension and Quest for additional testing should demand exceed what the Milwaukee Health Department lab can provide. These plans are in line with Wisconsin Department of Health Services recommendations for COVID-19 testing.

"The resources announced today and provided by Gov. Tony Evers and UW System will allow us to also test all students living in our residence halls. Campus health leaders from Norris Health Center, the College of Nursing and other campus units are currently working on plan for this additional testing, which will allow for earlier identification and isolation of students who are COVID-19 positive but have not yet shown symptoms.

"We are grateful for the support from Gov. Evers and UW System, and these resources will allow us to further enhance the robust testing plan we already had in place for the fall semester."