The North Dakota Department of Health (NDDoH), in coordination with the North Dakota University System (NDUS), is encouraging students at colleges and universities to stay on campus this Labor Day weekend.
“We are asking students to stay on campus during this holiday and minimize traveling,” said NDUS Chancellor Mark Hagerott. “Young people have the propensity for being asymptomatic. This simple step of not traveling home reduces the risk of unknowingly transmitting the virus to different communities and families across the state. We are asking all students to stay safe and keep in place.”
Hagerott explained that the NDUS continues to work closely with the NDDoH, the National Guard, and other state leaders to provide free COVID-19 testing to students and be quick to identify COVID-19, trace contacts, and isolate individuals who test positive.
“We all want to keep our campuses open, and we give ourselves the best chance of success if we work together to keep each other safe,” Hagerott said.
This past weekend, Gov. Doug Burgum welcomed the White House’s Coronavirus Response Coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx to North Dakota to discuss the state’s efforts in the fight against COVID-19. Birx, an ambassador-at-large and U.S. Special Representative for Global Health Diplomacy discussed the idea of limiting student travel during the Labor Day weekend with state and local officials at the North Dakota State University Alumni Center in Fargo.
“Every college student in North Dakota, no matter where they’re from, can help keep COVID-19 out of their communities,” said Kirby Kruger, director of the NDDoH Division of Disease Control. “We are concerned that students who travel home may unintentionally infect a family member. If we all work together and keep doing our part, we can fight the spread COVID-19.”
Mass testing events for COVID-19
The North Dakota University System, in collaboration with the North Dakota Department of Health, continues to hold mass testing events for COVID-19 in multiple locations across the state. Students, incoming students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to get tested. For more information, visit health.nd.gov/testnd or ndus.edu/gettested.