Morgan State University will require students and faculty to test for coronavirus ahead of the start of the fall 2020 semester. Whether members of the Morgan community can return to campus will be contingent upon a negative test result, according to a university press release.

“Instituting a protocol for testing that requires a negative result for all returning Morgan students and employees will be our first line of offense in effectively establishing a wellness benchmark and decreasing the probability of individuals unwittingly placing others at risk,” the release said.

According to Thursday’s press release, the execution of the pre-return to campus testing protocol is still being formulated. The university is also equipping the Health Center, along with other potential partners, to conduct on-campus testing once the semester starts.

As recently as July 16, university President David Wilson told the faculty during a town hall meeting that he could only “strongly encourage” students and faculty to take a COVID-19 test prior to campus arrival.

“I don’t have the authority to everyone on campus to be tested before they return,” Wilson said. “We’re working on that legally to see if I could be granted the authority to do that.

On Wednesday, Wilson announced additional options for student instruction which included all-online learning, in-person classes, live-streamed classes and a hybrid option.

The announcement falls on the same day that the University System of Maryland announced mandatory COVID-19 testing for all on-campus students and employees.

USM is a public higher education system comprised of 12 universities including Bowie State, University of Maryland College Park, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Coppin State and Towson.

Morgan, however, is not a part of USM. The official first day of classes is set for Sept. 9.