SUBJECT:

Planning for June 1st Ramp Up of Research During COVID-19 Pandemic

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, UC San Diego has worked to prioritize
the health and safety of all members of our community. We have continued
our essential research, scholarship and creative activity by conducting
as much work as possible remotely while limiting on-site activity to a
subset of critical research activity. We know that this has been a
significant challenge, and appreciate the adjustments you have made.

All available scientific evidence indicates that the threat of
SARS-CoV-2 spreading in our community will remain in the months to come.
To respond, UC San Diego is preparing for varying levels of activity on
campus. Over the past weeks, the Continuity of Research Task Force has
developed a strategy to ensure researchers can respond effectively and
efficiently as the public health situation changes.

The strategy lays out a multi-phase approach in which the level of
activity in our labs, facilities and performance spaces will vary in
response to public health conditions and stay in line with campus, local
and statewide directives. At all phases, work that can be conducted
remotely will continue to be conducted remotely, while those working on
campus will be required to adhere to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) guidelines about physical distancing, face coverings
and hygiene. General guidelines for all activity, as well as
context-specific guidelines, are available at
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html

Faculty and staff will be able to resume on-site activity, subject to
these guidelines, as soon as June 1st. In the next few weeks, the campus
will be able to move from the current, most-restrictive “Red” phase to
the less-restrictive “Orange” phase. To prepare for that transition,
those responsible for research programs will use the UC San Diego
Research Ramp-Up Guidelines available at
https://blink.ucsd.edu/research/covid-19/research-ramp-up.html and
prepare plans to conduct activity in keeping with the safety
restrictions adopted for this next phase. Plans will be submitted via a
new online Research Activity Framework Tool available at
https://ucsd.edu/researchactivityform for review by their chair and dean
(division leader and department chair in Health Sciences, division chair
and director in Scripps Institution of Oceanography).

We understand that the interruptions in your research, scholarship and
creative activity have been challenging and frustrating – and have
accompanied the broader challenges of living in the midst of a pandemic.
As you prepare to ramp up your research, the entire Research Affairs and
Environment, Health and Safety teams are ready to help.

Elizabeth H. Simmons Executive Vice Chancellor Sandra A. Brown Vice Chancellor for Research David A. Brenner Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences Margaret S. Leinen Vice Chancellor for Marine Sciences