While visiting the COVID-19 testing site at San Diego City College on Wednesday morning or Thursday afternoon, it’s possible you’ll see more test administrators than City College students.

“I heard that it may be picking up shortly but nobody is going to be waiting in long lines,” Emergency Medical Technician and on-campus COVID-19 test administrator Garrett Bohn said in an interview with City Times. “People can get in here and get out.”

Bohn, who guides City community members through the testing process from arrival to departure, said the entire process typically takes about five minutes.

The San Diego Community College District is proactively addressing the COVID-19 pandemic with a multi-faceted prevention plan.

The plan includes mandating COVID-19 vaccinations for students, staff and faculty, slowing the transition from virtual to in-person learning, and providing free and accessible COVID-19 testing to those with religious or health-related vaccination exemptions.

“I, as a nurse, personally appreciate that the district didn’t rush into things,” City Student Health Center Director Dotti Cordell said. “That they asked us to be flexible to the point that we may have to pivot back with the emergence of the delta variant and the mu variant. I think it has been done very thoughtfully.”

The SDCCD COVID-19 testing policy, explained by Chancellor Carlos Turner Cortez in a districtwide email to faculty and staff on Sept. 2, is one of the many critical facets of the plan to return to campus.

The plan mandates that all students, staff and faculty who have not provided documentation of full vaccination be tested for COVID-19 every week while on any remote or in-person active work assignment.

“All employees may be required to report to campus at some point this fall, so we need all employees to be prepared if directed to do so,” Cortez wrote in the districtwide email.

A one-time online registration is required prior to taking the first Covid-19 test and is easily accessible to City students, faculty and staff.

Those required to test weekly should have or will receive an email from [email protected] to register. If you are expecting a link and did not receive one yet, you can use your campus ID to retrieve a link to your Cleared4 account by clicking here.

In addition to providing personal information, registrants are required to upload an insurance card or a signed affidavit provided by the district stating that they do not have insurance. The affidavit can be downloaded here.

Registration may also be done at the testing site with a cellphone or computer with assistance from on-site test administrators if needed. The step-by-step registration process is explained in complete detail on the City website here.

Free COVID-19 testing is provided at City on Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

If unable to test during those hours, testing is also available at Mesa, Miramar, the district office or any other location administering free Center for Disease Control approved COVID-19 tests.

Any individual costs incurred from fee-based COVID-19 testing services will not be reimbursed by the district.

Additional information about COVID-19 testing requirements, registration and scheduling and the district’s plan for a safe return to campus can be found here.