Residents and employees of the Morgan View Complex, the off-campus apartments near Morgan State University, will now be able to schedule on-site COVID-19 tests in a repurposed multipurpose room starting Thursday, Feb.25 , according to a Wednesday afternoon statement to residents.

While testing is an option for residents in Morgan View, it remains a mandate for those living on campus and in Marble Hall Gardens.  Nursing students and some student athletes are volunteering to administer the tests.

“Morgan View will be hosting tests every Thursday and is strongly recommended for residents who live here to get tested ” said Traniyah Roots, a senior nursing major who is assisting with COVID-19 testing in Morgan View.

To schedule an appointment for a COVID-19 test, or to see test results, residents can visit Morgan’s Health Portal. According to the statement,  student-athletes and students who are part of the school’s nursing program will not be able to get tested in Morgan View. Nursing students can get tested at other designated sites like the university Student Center and the Hill Field House for athletes.

Morgan is currently housing  nearly 1,000 students on campus who are required to get tested twice weekly. However, students living in Morgan View were not eligible for on-campus testing during the fall semester.

Some residents are relieved by the news but believe regular COVID-19 testing should be a requirement.

“I feel as though it is a step in the right direction,” junior mathematics major Jaelynn Finklea said. “For a more impactful outcome, Morgan View should mandate testing for all residents, similar to how it works on campus.” 

Moesha Graham, a junior social work major and resident, hopes on-site testing will encourage Morgan View administrators to lift the ban on visitation.

“I’m hopeful that since we have a testing site in our complex, we can allow visitors again,” Graham said.

A year into the coronavirus pandemic, it continues to affect the country and world. With the death toll surpassing half a million, the U.S. is strongly pushing additional testing efforts. With vaccines beginning to rollout, colleges and universities nationwide are preparing to fully reopen campuses by the fall, Morgan included.

University President David Wilson expressed that Morgan is in the planning phases for a full reopening of campus by summer in a statement addressed to the Morgan community.

“My optimism is being fueled by the Biden Administration’s COVID-19 response plan that includes the acceleration of vaccine distribution and inoculation that would have most of the adult population vaccinated by the end of the summer,” he said in the statement. “These actions bode well for our Fall 2021 Semester reopening goal.”