September 8, 2020

Colleagues,

I am pleased to report that we have successfully repopulated many of the research groups that cannot conduct their projects remotely. Requirements of the current Phase 2 research repopulation plan have been designed to promote the health and safety of SDSU faculty, staff, students and community by reducing the risk for spread of COVID-19 within work environments at SDSU and SDSU Research Foundation facilities and during field work

Important aspects of this plan include:

• Completion of the Return to Work training prior to beginning research
• Performing COVID-19 symptom checks before each individual begins work every day
• Limiting access to research spaces to personnel who are part of an approved Research Repopulation Plan
• Limiting room density to no more than one person per 250 square feet when in shared spaces or no more than one person in a room less than 250 square feet, and posting signage on each room to clearly indicate the maximal occupancy
• Maintaining a distance of at least six feet between individuals when outdoors
• Wearing face coverings at all times when on campus except when a researcher is working alone in a room or while eating in a socially distanced
• Frequent, thorough hand washing or use of hand sanitizer
• Thorough disinfection of commonly touched surfaces, including door handles, bench tops, shared equipment, etc.

Please visit the research COVID-19 website for additional guidance and related documents. Send questions about COVID-19 related research issues to DRI-CoV2@sdsu.edu.

The current challenges of positive COVID-19 cases in the SDSU undergraduate population emphasize the importance of following all of these safety requirements. All researchers need to be attentive to these safety requirements to avoid outbreaks in our research community that could limit our research or even halt research.

As each of you noted when you agreed to the research plan, ensuring the health and safety of our research community and everyone we are connected to is the responsibility of each of us. Thank you for helping keep safety at the forefront of our work.

Respectfully,

Hala Madanat, Ph.D.
Interim Vice President for Research and Innovation