UIC launches COVID-19 Dual Badging

On Tuesday, Jan. 19, UIC launched an enhanced UIC Daily Pass to track COVID-19 saliva testing by students and employees who are learning and working on the Chicago campus as well as in Rockford and Peoria. The university’s testing and contact tracing programs are essential parts of its efforts to minimize the spread of COVID-19.

Each user’s saliva testing status now will be indicated as a separate badge alongside their UIC Healthcheck daily pass. Badges are color coded to reflect the date of their last test as follows:

• Saliva tested negative in last 7 days = green
• Saliva tested negative 7-14 days = yellow
• Saliva tested 15 days or more = red

Links within the badge will provide additional information about the saliva testing process.

Saliva testing capacity has been significantly increased for individuals who are not displaying symptoms of COVID-19. UIC will continue the mandatory saliva-based testing program for specific groups of students and employees, including students and staff in campus housing, certain students and faculty/staff in performing arts, and student-athletes and athletics staff. It is anticipated that mandatory testing will be expanded to additional groups and those details will be communicated soon.

At this point, all students who are not in the mandatory testing groups, employees and students working in a clinical setting, and faculty/staff who are unable to socially distance due to constraints in their work environment are strongly encouraged to schedule voluntary saliva testing weekly. All other individuals who will be on campus should schedule voluntary saliva testing once every two weeks.

Students, faculty and staff must also continue to use UIC Healthcheck to record their health status prior to coming to campus each day.