After the university closed for winter break, USC reported eight total active COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, Jan. 5, according to the university's updated online COVID-19 dashboard.
The active cases are made up of seven student cases and one employee case.
During this reporting period, Jan. 1 through Jan. 4, there were 3,827 tests administered, with a positive rate of 1.16%. Of that, 2,022 students and 1,085 employees were tested.
As students, faculty and staff return to campus, they can check the university's COVID-19 website for testing schedules and locations.
Students who live on campus or are registered for "at least one face-to-face or hybrid course" must submit proof of a negative COVID-19 test before returning to campus, according to the university's spring 2021 testing guidelines.
All of the quarantine and isolation spaces are empty. USC will begin the semester with 600 available bed spaces, according to university spokesperson Jeff Stensland.
The alert level remains at the “new normal” level, the lowest on the scale. The alert level is calculated using 11 factors, including campus testing, campus case burden and isolation and quarantine capacity.
The COVID-19 dashboard will be updated every Tuesday and Friday.