COVID-19 Update on Research Activity

Please note the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has established a website to guide NIH funded researchers with deadlines for progress reports, grant submissions, regulatory issues and expenditures.

In response to our message on March 14, many labs have implemented protocols for social distancing, minimized the numbers of individuals in their labs at any given time, and developed a Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) plan.

Other best practices include:

1. Determining a rotation of those who need to be in the lab (ideally 3 or fewer essential personnel).
2. Conducting web-based lab meetings.
3. Prioritizing long-term experiments and activities that would generate significant financial or data loss if not completed.
4. Maintaining critical samples and animal populations.
5. Delaying or ramping-down work that can be stopped.
6. Shifting lab members to activities (such as writing publications, grants and reports) that can be done remotely off-campus.
7. Updating contact information for lab members and for freezers and instruments that have alarm points.
8. Preparing for disruptions in deliveries and services, including access to core facilities.
9. Following lab safety guidelines for extended times when no one is in the lab.

If someone in your lab develops symptoms consistent with Covid-19, please report to BU Occupational Health promptly for further directions. Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) is finalizing labs and facilities guidelines for disinfecting spaces if a case is suspected in the lab.

Please contact me if other lab-based issues arise. The goal is to keep our faculty, staff and students as safe as possible while continuing our research despite the circumstances.

For the latest University information regarding COVID-19, please see the BUMC and BU websites.