MARSHALL — Starting Monday, Southwest Minnesota State University will be taking additional steps to help protect students from COVID-19. The university will now require everyone who comes to campus — including students, employees, vendors and visitors — to take a self-assessment survey first. SMSU is also limiting access to campus buildings to students, faculty, staff and visitors with pre-arranged meetings, the university said in a Friday announcement.

Self-screenings, as well as face coverings, are being required at all Minnesota State campuses this fall.

University spokespeople said self-assessments must be taken every day a person plans to be on campus. There are three ways to take the assessment. The self-screening survey can be taken online at www.minnstate.edu/CV19-SMSU, or by scanning a QR code with the camera on a smart phone. QR codes will be on signs at each entrance on campus, and scanning them will bring up the screening tool on your smart phone. Paper forms of the screening will also be available at the information desk at the east entrance to the Student Center, and in the university Human Resources office at Bellows Academic room 269.

The self-assessment asks health related questions, like whether you have experienced new symptoms of COVID-19. Based on the answers, you will receive an email notifying you whether you are approved to enter SMSU buildings. People who fail the screening will not be allowed inside buildings on campus.

If an SMSU student living on campus fails the self-assessment, they will need to contact the university Residence Life staff and go through a series of questions to determine if they need to quarantine, SMSU spokespeople said.

The data submitted through the online assessment will be kept private, SMSU said in a frequently-asked questions page on its website. A limited number of individuals at the Minnesota State system office and on each campus in the system may access the results. The individuals who can access the data are restricted to people whose work assignments reasonably require it, SMSU said.

For more information on the self-assessments, call 507-537-7678.