Dear Research Colleagues,
We write today with important information about our collective and critical goal of maintaining our research activities on our campuses as planned. This note is an update to messages we sent prior to the winter break.
As you may know, the prevalence rate of COVID-19 in Washington and on our campus is escalating quickly, and we’re hearing daily how the pandemic is disrupting staffing and work activities across the country. To reduce potential disruptions to your research, please consider the following actions:
- Please encourage your lab members and other research staff to wear a properly-fitted, high-grade mask (N95, KN95, KF94) inside at all times. Georgetown will be providing free N95 masks. More information about voluntary usage of these types of masks can be found on the OSHA website here. If you have questions on the use of N95s, please contact the Office of Environment Health and Safety at (202) 687-4712.
- Consider restricting research with animal models to those projects that are ongoing or of the highest priority. We don’t anticipate a need to interrupt animal care services provided by the Department of Comparative Medicine at this moment, but should the pandemic’s impact on staffing warrant a pause, we want to minimize the loss of any valuable research assets.
As a reminder:
- Students, faculty and staff who will be on campus for Spring 2022 need to get tested prior to their arrival on campus, following the arrival testing protocol on the University’s COVID-19 Testing Protocol page, regardless of their vaccination status, whether they have traveled or remained in the local area. This testing protocol also applies to those who worked on campus during the break.
- When research activities require in-person work, please schedule work in such a way that allows for reduced density and maintaining physical distancing when possible. (For example, planning work in shifts to minimize density).
- We strongly encourage those who are eligible to be boosted as soon as possible, and certainly before the January 21, 2022, deadline (unless you have an approved medical or religious exemption).
- Access for study participants visiting Georgetown for research purposes continues as planned.
Please let us (Moshe Levi for GUMC or Billy Jack for Main Campus) know if COVID-19 has significantly disrupted your operations so that we can monitor and explore ways to provide support.
Moshe Levi
Interim Dean for Research
Georgetown University Medical Center
Billy Jack
Vice Provost of Research
Georgetown University