Testing information
The NAU Fieldhouse testing site is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. Appointments are required. First-time users of this testing facility can find instructions for registration online. If you already have an account created, make an appointment online.
Parking is available for free in lot P16. Please only park in the row closest to the Fieldhouse, which is designated for testing and vaccine patients.
Is testing mandatory?
Consistent with state law, NAU will not require COVID-19 testing without authorization from the Arizona Department of Health Services.
NAU does encourage our campus community to utilize testing to maintain a healthy living and learning environment.
How do I create an account to get tested at the NAU Field House?
- Testing is through a partnership with ASU and DHS. Visit the ASU testing portal to create an account and schedule a test.
- When prompted, enter Agency Code: SALIVATEST
- Select the NAU testing location.
- You will receive a QR code after signing up for a test. Bring this to the test site.
- Do not eat, drink, chew gum, or smoke/use tobacco products 30 minutes prior to testing.
- You will be notified by email or text when results are ready.
For more information, review the AzDHS FAQs.
What type of COVID-19 testing is used?
The test is a self-administered PCR saliva test. A health care professional will observe each self-test to ensure accuracy and provide coaching if needed.
Is there a fee?
No. Tests are provided at no cost.
How long does it take to be tested?
The testing process, from checking in to turning in your sample tube, should take approximately 20–25 minutes.
When will I know my results?
Test results are typically available within 72 hours and those tested will receive an email notification when they can access their results through a secure portal.
You are not required to quarantine while waiting for test results if you are vaccinated.
What if I test positive?
According to CDC guidelines, you should follow proper self-isolation practices for at least ten days from the onset of symptoms. Exposure management related to positive test results will be addressed through Coconino County Health Services and/or Campus Health Services contact tracers.
Please report positive COVID-19 cases using our form.
What does it mean to self-isolate?
If you are sick with COVID-19 or suspect that you are infected with the virus that causes COVID-19, you must self-isolate and monitor symptoms for up to 2 weeks. Learn more about how to self-isolate and why it’s important by reviewing the Campus Health Services self-isolation guidelines.
How does contact tracing work?
We all need to work together to help slow the spread of COVID-19 on campus and in our community. Please answer all calls and messages from Campus Health Services (CHS) and Coconino County Health and Human Services (CCHHS). Learn more about how contact tracing works, why it’s important, and confidentiality.
Do I need to be tested before I come to NAU?
It is not required that you be tested before arrival but it is strongly encouraged.
Testing at Campus Health Services
Who can be tested at Campus Health Services and how will they be notified of test results?
NAU’s Campus Health Services will facilitate COVID-19 testing for individuals who are symptomatic or who have potentially been exposed, including those contacted by investigators/tracers.
Coverage of the cost of the test and associated fees varies by insurance company and plan. Campus Health Services recommends that patients reach out to their individual insurance company to determine the current COVID-19 testing coverage. The test is available at a reduced rate for students whose insurance does not cover testing.
If you’ve tested positive, you will be contacted by your health care provider. You may also receive a call from a member of a contact tracing team, who will ask for a list of your recent contacts. This information will help them determine if there are others who need to be notified. If you are contacted, your name and other personal information will not be shared. To help protect the rest of our community, it is important that you work cooperatively with the contact tracing team.
More information can be found on Campus Health Service’s COVID-19 testing page.
What type of testing is available on campus?
Campus Health Services is offering nasal swab antigen testing. This test will show active infection with an accuracy rate of 84-87 percent if tested when ill. Same-day results are available. Campus Health Services also offers a nasal swab RT-PCR/NAAT test. This test is considered the gold standard for being highly accurate. The usual turnaround time for this test is 2-4 days.
How long will it take to get test results at Campus Health Services?
Campus Health Services has an average response time of one to four hours depending on the current testing demand volume. Patients will be contacted as soon as results are received. Response time for the RT-PCR/NAAT test is usually 2-4 days. If you are tested, please answer any and all calls, texts, or emails from Campus Health Services, Coconino County Health Department, or the university.
Determining Exposure
What criteria will be used to determine exposure?
Contact tracers will use the CDC’s and Arizona state guidelines to determine exposure, including distance, time and use of PPE. Please visit the CDC’s “When to Quarantine” page.
How will someone who may have been exposed be notified about what to do?
Someone who may have been exposed will be contacted by a contact investigator or tracer. They will let you know of the possible exposure, the next steps for getting tested and how to properly quarantine. It’s important for the health of our campus community to take the appropriate steps and heed the instructions of the contact investigator/tracer.
If a student in a classroom or the professor tests positive, does the whole class need to get tested?
Not necessarily, given that our guidelines for classrooms include maintaining the appropriate physical distancing and require the wearing of face masks, aimed at mitigating risk and potential exposure. When contact tracers do their investigation, they determine whether people have been exposed based on proximity to the infected person and whether proper precautions were being followed. Investigators/tracers will reach out if they determine the student or professor was at risk of exposing others.
What is Covid Watch?
To help reduce the spread of COVID-19, NAU is encouraging all students, faculty, and staff to download the Covid Watch Arizona app, an anonymous exposure app that will use location information to notify people who may have been exposed to COVID-19. More information can be found on the Covid Watch Arizona page.
Quarantining
Are people expected to quarantine after getting a test?
Anyone NOT vaccinated who tested after becoming symptomatic or who has been exposed to someone who is positive should remain quarantined until receiving the results of their tests.
How will NAU quarantine students who live in residence halls? What about roommates?
NAU will follow CDC and Coconino County guidelines for quarantine.
We have set aside a designated space for isolation/quarantine purposes. How a student and their roommates are quarantined will depend on the situation: students who live in suites may all need to be relocated depending on exposure; in a traditional room, both roommates likely would isolate in the designated area.
What will quarantine look like for students living on campus?
Students in quarantine will all have individual bathroom access, and students with meal plans can order online and have meals delivered through Campus Dining. We have assigned care managers in Residence Life to help make sure the needs of quarantined students are met.
Students are encouraged to pack what they need prior to quarantine. However, if they need items mid-quarantine, they can contact their assigned care manager and coordinate with Residence Life for assistance.
Should parents bring home their students who have tested positive?
Parents are welcome to pick up their students and keep them at home for the duration of their quarantine/isolation period (a minimum of 10 days after exposure or the on-set of symptoms.
However, it’s not required. Students who have tested positive and remain on campus will be isolated in the designated areas. NAU’s priority is the health and safety of our students and supporting their needs while ensuring they still have access to the educational opportunities for which they came to NAU.
How will common areas in the residence halls be monitored?
Common areas will remain open so long as students follow precautions that are in place. Students will be required to wear masks in public spaces, including residence hall areas with the exception of their living spaces; additional hand sanitizer dispensers are being added to all public space; the number of students allowed to use a public space at one time will be posted; students will be required to check out a key to use kitchens and will need to adhere to additional cleaning protocols. Students should use LaundryView to check on the number of available washing machines and time left on machines prior to going to the laundry room, and additional educational signage will remind residents to practice healthy habits and follow established guidelines to help protect themselves and others.
If a student chooses to leave campus after testing positive for COVID-19, will residence hall and meal plan costs be prorated or discounted?
No, they will not.