Starting this week, Boston University students entering the school’s dining halls, student union and some other common areas will be required to show a green badge on their mobile device confirming they are following COVID-19 testing protocols and aren’t currently experiencing coronavirus symptoms, per a letter from university officials to the student body.
BU students are required to complete a “daily symptom attestation” before heading to campus or, if they live in a residence hall, going out of their rooms. If they don’t report symptoms and are also adhering to the school’s COVID-19 testing plan, they are given a green badge.
Though the number of cases on campus remains “relatively low,” officials say, new cases at BU have reached their highest volume since August.
“From our analysis of our cases, we know that a critically important driver for our increasing infection rate is the number of social gatherings (on and off campus), as well as personal travel and off-campus visits with family and friends where participants do not adhere to physical distancing and mask-wearing,” the letter says.