St. Thomas announced Thursday it will partner with the Minnesota Department of Health to offer free on-campus COVID-19 testing next week at the St. Paul campus.

Saliva polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests will be available on Wednesday, Nov. 18 and Thursday, Nov. 19 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Anderson Athletic and Recreation Complex Field House. Students, faculty and staff can sign up for a time slot here.

“This testing event is intended for individuals who are not symptomatic,” Vice President for Student Affairs and Campus Preparedness Plan Co-chair Karen Lange wrote in an email to St. Thomas community members.

Students with COVID-19 symptoms should continue to contact the Center for Well-Being to receive a COVID-19 test.

The announcement came after MDH recommended that students be tested before they return home for Thanksgiving.

“Community members who participate in this test should expect to receive their test results within 48 hours,” Lange wrote. “Insurance information will be collected, but MDH will cover any costs not covered by insurance, so the tests will be free.”

Students and staff who receive a positive test result are expected to self-report their results on OneStThomas.

Minneapolis campus community members will also have the opportunity to receive a free COVID-19 test kit, which will be distributed through their academic programs, the email stated.

“We are partnering with MDH to offer expanded testing options to our community,” Lange wrote. “Faculty, staff and students on the Minneapolis campus will have the opportunity to receive a test kit distributed through their academic programs.”

The test is conducted by spitting into a funnel to collect saliva. It takes 10-12 minutes to produce the saliva required. After completing the test, students can expect a result within 48 hours, which is significantly faster than results for the nasal swab tests, which may take 4-5 days. Community members getting tested are asked not to eat or drink 30 minutes before testing.

Eighty positive COVID-19 cases were reported last week among students and staff by the University of St. Thomas’ Center for Well-Being, the highest total recorded all year and a 58-case increase from the previous week. The university has reported 368 positive COVID-19 tests since April.

Gov. Tim Walz’s Tuesday executive order encourages colleges to issue a “quiet period,” putting a hold on unnecessary in-person extracurricular activities. Starting Nov. 13, these activities will move online for the remainder of the semester except for Daily Mass, Prayer Hour and athletics. Classes will proceed as usual.

The executive order requires indoor and outdoor gatherings not to exceed 10 people from three households. The order also issues new closing times for restaurants.

Justin Amaker, Burke Spizale, Sam Larson, Josie Morss and Elijah Todd-Walden contributed to this story.