COVID-19 testing for community members moves to UW-Whitewater Community Engagement Center on Feb. 1

January 25, 2021

After conducting more than 19,000 COVID-19 tests as part of UW System’s “surge testing” program, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater is extending operations into the spring by opening a new testing clinic at the Community Engagement Center.

The location, at 1260 W. Main Street on the west side of Whitewater, will be open Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., beginning Monday, Feb. 1. The free, fast antigen tests are available to anyone 5 years or older.

“As we did during the pandemic of 1918-19, this university is proud to lend its resources and expertise to assist in the fight against COVID-19, and I am proud of the staff across UW-Whitewater who continue to work hard to make this possible,” said Chancellor Dwight C. Watson. “And we appreciate the community members of all ages who take the opportunity to get tested to help keep the city of Whitewater as safe as possible. They participate not only for their own wellbeing, but for the good of others — upholding their responsibility as caring and committed members of our community.”

A total of 19,408 tests (with an overall positivity rate of 13.5%) were administered at the clinic’s previous location at the Williams Center, which was made possible through a University of Wisconsin System “surge testing” initiative in partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The program at the Williams Center ran from Nov. 9, 2020, through Jan. 22, 2021, and has concluded.

The community surge testing program complements an already existing partnership between UW-Whitewater, UW System and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services to regularly test university members, which also began earlier in the fall. Free student, faculty and staff testing is now available at the University Center, where participants are required to show their UW-Whitewater identification. On the Rock County campus, testing is available to students, faculty and staff once a week on a rotating Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday schedule.

During the spring 2021 semester, UW-Whitewater students who live on campus are expected to get tested every week, while others who come to campus at least once a week, including students who live off campus and faculty and staff, are expected to get tested every other week.

Registration information on COVID-19 testing at the UW-Whitewater Community Engagement Center will be posted soon at https://www.uww.edu/warhawks-return/testing.

Community members who wish to get tested between now and Jan. 31 should consult the COVID-19 Community Testing Site page on the Wisconsin Department of Health Services website. That page currently lists four testing sites in Walworth County, one in Jefferson County, and five in Rock County.