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SAN DIEGO — Students and staff at UC San Diego can now get COVID-19 test kits from vending machines on campus.

The university announced in early December that 20 vending machines containing COVID-19 test kits were coming to campus as part of its “Return to Learn” program.

When students and staff return for winter quarter Jan. 4, they’ll be expected to conduct daily symptom and exposure screenings and participate in no-cost weekly testing. UCSD ramped up symptomatic and asymptomatic testing efforts with the goal of quickly identifying and containing any outbreaks.

UCSD shared the locations of some of the COVID-19 test kit vending machines Saturday.

Students can also pick-up and drop-off test kits between 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. seven days a week at Seventh College, Nuevo East and the Price Center Ballroom B.

Students and employees are required to return samples within 72 hours. Kits from vending machines can be returned to drop boxes next to the vending machines. Learn more about self-administered testing on the university’s website.

Vending machine locations:

  • Muir College | Roots Restaurant
  • Seventh College | Next to the Parcel Center 
  • Nuevo East (Porton) | Outdoor Gym Area
  • Price Center | First Floor Across from Burger King
  • Thurgood Marshall College (Lower) | TMC Residence Life Lobby
  • Warren College | Across from the Residence Life Office
  • Eleanor Roosevelt College | Next to the Laundry Room
  • Village at Pepper Canyon | Lodge
  • South Mesa | 9126 Laundry Room
  • One Miramar | Next to the Parcel Center
  • Central Mesa | Next to Laundry Room – Coming in winter 2021

The university said in December that it also planned to expand detection of the virus by increasing wastewater monitoring. The campus first started monitoring wastewater outflow last summer with six wastewater samplers.

They test wastewater for traces of the coronavirus. If it’s detected, the university notifies students and staff in buildings linked to the manhole where the sample was gathered. The university encourages people to get tested and anyone who is infected moves into isolation housing. The program will eventually cover 200 sample locations across campus.