BUFFALO, N.Y.  – The SUNY system says all on-campus students are required to test negative for COVID-19 within the 10 days prior to leaving campus for Thanksgiving break.

According to a release, campuses must develop schedules that conduct the test as close to a student’s departure date as possible.

All 64 colleges and universities will test roughly 140,000 students over a 10-day period preceding Thanksgiving break

“As in-person classes and instruction come to a close next month, tens of thousands of students will travel across the state and country to be with their families and complete their fall courses remotely,” said SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras. “By requiring all students to test negative before leaving, we are implementing a smart, sensible policy that protects students’ families and hometown communities and drastically reduces the chances of COVID-19 community spread. While we understand there is a lot of focus on plans for the spring semester, we must first finish this semester safely. I want to thank our students for the phenomenal effort during these difficult times as well as SUNY health policy experts for helping us create this guidance that ensures a safe wind down of the fall semester.”

You can track COVID-19 cases at SUNY schools here.