Vice President for Research Laurie E. Locascio sent the following message to the University of Maryland research community on June 5, 2020:
Dear University of Maryland community,
In my communication on June 1, 2020, I informed you that research remained in Phase 0, a planning and preparation phase to ready the campus for expanded research activities. Today, in light of Governor Hogan's June 3, 2020 Executive Order, I am announcing that we will transition to Phase 1, characterized as Limited Presence, on Monday, June 8, 2020. I am pleased that research operations are the first activities to resume on our campus, speaking to the vital, foundational role our researchers serve at the University of Maryland.
As an important reminder, approval by the deans of your safety assuredness plan is a requirement to return to campus for research. Also, if you can perform your research remotely, please to do so. In Phase 1, we will limit our on-campus presence and keep occupancy of our research spaces to a minimum as described in the safety assuredness plan.
The Division of Research and the Department of Environmental Safety, Sustainability and Risk will continue to work with the units throughout the coming weeks to get researchers' safety assuredness plans in place for a safe return to work.
Please watch for additional communications coming soon regarding the daily health screening questionnaire for working on campus, and documenting our shared commitment to the health and safety of everyone in our campus community.
The university will conduct a voluntary COVID-19 testing program for those UMD employees (faculty and staff) and graduate research assistants who have been working on campus to support critical operations. Researchers who were approved to work on campus while under Severe Research Restrictions may receive an invitation to participate in this initial limited testing program. This voluntary testing program will be used to inform decisions about subsequent testing on our campus. If you receive an invitation to participate, voluntary testing is on a first-come first-served basis and is not a requirement to return to campus for research.
We have worked diligently to get the campus ready to phase in research activities, and we appreciate the part that all of you have played in preparing to get us back to work safely. We will continue to rely on the cooperation and support of the entire research community to successfully transition to an on-campus research presence over the coming weeks.
Please reach out with questions through your colleges or schools or by submitting questions to askresearchadmin@umd.edu.
We look forward to getting back to campus and to another productive year of research at the University of Maryland.
Laurie E. Locascio
Vice President for Research
Also see:
Safety Practices and Requirements for Working on Campus (June 11, 2020)
Impact of COVID-19 on Research Activity