It recommended that schools organize students and staff into groups that will be tested more or less frequently depending on their risk of exposure. Essential campus workers and students who live in dormitories, for example, would be tested most often. The report also recommended three types of testing — an initial test for everyone at the start of the semester, quick testing of symptomatic people, and routine testing at least once a week for everyone else.
“Testing broadly is the sine qua non for safety,” said Dr. Sandro Galea, dean of the Boston University School of Public Health and a member of the task force. “The more capacity we have, the better.