At least 12 campus community members at New Mexico State University's Las Cruces campus and Doña Ana Community College have tested positive for COVID-19 following a large-scale testing operation conducted Monday morning in coordination with the New Mexico Department of Health. None of the individuals who tested positive had shown symptoms. Approximately half of the individuals had not been on campus since March. The remaining were present on campus, as needed.

"This is exactly the kind of wide-scale testing we need in order to understand the prevalence of COVID-19 in our community and to protect the safety of NMSU and communities across our state," said NMSU Chancellor Dan Arvizu. "We're grateful to the governor and state officials who helped facilitate this operation, and we appreciate everyone who took part."

NMSU continues to follow all established protocols for COVID-19, including the closing and cleaning of facilities, social distancing for individuals and requiring those in the workplace to wear face coverings.

For the latest updates on the NMSU system's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, visit https://nmsu.edu/coronavirus/.