Michigan Tech One Of A Handful Of Schools With Solid COVID-19 Protocols

With thousands of college students returning to school this week, only a small portion of schools throughout the country have solid plans in place, if a resurgence of COVID-19 happens.

Michigan Tech, happens to be on that list.

Researchers at Cal Tech and Johns Hopkins University studied the return to campus plans of over 500 public and private universities and found that plans for all the schools differ greatly.

Only 27% of schools studied have a COVID-19 plan in place.

Research also concluded that only 53 schools throughout the country are doing symptomatic and asymptomatic testing.

According to Cal Tech’s database, Michigan Tech is part of a small number of schools that has a robust plan in place, should a second COVID-19 wave hit.

Some of Tech’s safety measures include on campus baseline and surveillance testing, asymptomatic testing for staff, social distancing procedures, hybrid class delivery methods and partnerships with area healthcare providers.

David Reed, Vice President for Research, said “We have a comprehensive plan, and are trying to cover all the bases, but nothing is 100% assured. We are prepared for eventualities.”

Another part of Tech’s plan is their testing lab, which can run approximately 150 tests per day, with results coming back within 36 hours.