UW Research

November 17, 2020

Update: research during new COVID-19 restrictions

To All Researchers at UW:

Following up on the general announcement regarding Governor Inslee’s new restrictions, we would like to underscore the fact that these new restrictions do not affect research at UW. Higher education has been exempted, and that includes research, but as always be sure to check the HSD website for any updates if you are carrying out work involving human subjects. The increasing numbers of COVID-19 cases in the region remind us of the importance of redoubling your efforts to take precautions both at the workplace and in other settings. Be sure to follow your Back-to-Research protocols carefully, especially to wear masks, wash your hands, and physically distance in all interactions, and be especially careful if you are routinely working in the same room as others. In line with the Governor’s November 13 Travel Advisory, the University discourages non-essential travel, including holiday travel, and reminds researchers of the associated quarantine requirements. If you have travel related to allowable research, you should already have special precautions to take as part of your Back-to-Research plans and now you should be especially diligent. Always minimize the time spent in the same area as others. Note that the precautions you have all taken so much care to implement are working, there has yet been no documented community transmission on campus within a research group.

Mary Lidstrom
Vice Provost for Research