VMI COVID testing all cadets as they return from break

LEXINGTON, Va. (WDBJ) - Cadets are beginning to return to Virginia Military Institute, and the institute is testing the entire student body as they return from winter break.

They’re using a rapid test to check every cadet before they are allowed to go to barracks. If they get a positive result, they’re tested again using a different procedure before being sent into quarantine in a local hotel.

”Being a military school, the process that we set up is very structured,” said Col. Jay Williams, VMI’s director of emergency management. “We run them through five different check points to make sure that we have accountability of every cadet as they return back, and that everyone is tested.”

The school was able to set up the testing stations in cooperation with county emergency management services using their trailers.