The test of for employees and students at the University of Oslo only, and is not mandatory. Employee- or student card must be shown upon testing. The test is popular, and we urge you to come back later if there is a line. SiO Health cannot guarantee testing for all those in line.
The goal is to test students and staff who do not show any symptoms of Covid-19 to check if they are infected. This way it is possible to set up infection tracking quickly, assess the need for quarantine, and avoid further spread. The initiative can contribute to keeping UiO and other educational institutions open regardless of the infection pressure in the rest of society.
Blindern thus gets two test stations: one at Fredrikkeplassen for those who have symptoms of Covid-19 and therefore must be tested, and one next to Idrettsbygningen for those who show no symptoms, but who the health authorities still want to get tested.
The rapid test offered to students and staff without Covid-19 symptoms is taken in the outer part of the nose, meaning that it does not have to be done with a long swab stick. And seeing that the request is that everyone gets tested once a week, it is possible to come back some other time during the week should you encounter queues.
The quick test is a drop-in offer.
Check sio.no for opening hours for the quick test station (Norwegian).
Encourages everyone to contribute
Rector of the University of Oslo, Svein St?len, hopes that the testing of students and staff will help keep the university as open as possible in the future.
– I am very happy that we have got this in place. For us, it is important to be able to welcome students to a safe campus that is as open as possible. Now I encourage students and staff at the University of Oslo who come to the Blindern campus to take a rapid Covid-19 test once a week, he says.
The Norwegian Directorate of Health has taken the initiative for increased testing at upper secondary schools, colleges and universities. Once SiO Health has seen how the rapid testing works at Blindern campus, the hope is to establish similar testing stations at other teaching locations.
Will test up to 2000 every week
From Tuesday 2 March, SiO Health will test a total of between 1500 and 2000 students and employees a week on the Blindern campus.
The University of Oslo has worked continuously and well with infection control measures during the pandemic, and there have been no cases of outbreaks that can be connected to campus. The campus has nevertheless been closed for longer periods during the pandemic, as part of national and local infection control measures.
Digital teaching has been the main rule for the 28,000 students.