Dear Colleagues,
While we begin to slowly pivot towards a return to pre-pandemic activities, we are working diligently to ensure a standardized and safe approach for the health and safety of all University of Miami faculty, staff, students, and researchers. As a community, we continue to make progress in vaccinations administered that will help us in the fight against COVID-19. However, local cases are still high so we must remain vigilant and adhere to safety measures. We cannot let down our guard yet.
The guidelines outlined below for laboratories, research workspaces, and studios align with the CDC’s most recent recommendations and will help us continue our efforts to keep our University population safe. These updated guidelines replace the standard operating procedures (SOP) previously required for all such spaces. Faculty are not currently required to update their existing SOP to accommodate these changes or submit a revised SOP for review. However, please note that the previously published requirements for human subjects research, whether in clinical or community settings, still apply and are consistent with current knowledge regarding reduced risk of COVID-19 transmission.
Guidelines are as follows:
- Online platforms should continue to be the primary means of conducting events or gatherings through Spring 2021, at least, for any meetings that exceed ten people.
- Protective face coverings must be worn at all times when on campus or inside any University facilities.
- Physical distancing of 6 ft. or more must be adhered to at all times within workspaces, break rooms, and while eating/drinking, as opposed to 1 person/200 square feet of space as previously published.
- Completion of the UM Symptom Checker is required for all when on our campuses or when participating in University-sponsored research or scholarly activity. This also extends to research participants, including those engaged in community-facing studies.
- Limiting visits of external persons for research or scholarship-related endeavors. Such related visits must be pre-approved by Dr. Carl Schulman for the Miller School of Medicine or Johanna Stamates for Gables/RSMAS visits. Visitors must also abide by the guidelines outlined above.
- Request for in-person visits or tours of research or scholarship activities must include submission of the forms below 14 days prior to the intended visit date. All requests will be reviewed within seven days. Requests that fail to meet this review window period will not be approved.
- For Medical campus visits, please complete this form.
- For Gables and RSMAS campus visits, please complete this form.
- Faculty and employee guidelines for work-related travel, whether domestic or international, must be adhered to. Those travel guidance updates can be found here.
Thank you for adhering to these safety protocols and for your continued dedication to our mission.
Erin Kobetz, PhD, MPH
Vice Provost for Research + Scholarship
Associate Director, Population Sciences and Cancer Disparity, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center
Professor of Medicine and Public Health Sciences |
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