Coronavirus (COVID-19) Guidance for HSCRB

In-Person Events, Meetings, and Interviews

HSCRB has suspended all in-person department-wide events, meetings, and gatherings. Please find ways to accomplish meeting goals by using technology that allows you to interact virtually. See the University’s work remotely pages for guidance.

HSCRB is suspending in-person interviews for staff, students, postdocs and faculty until further notice.

Wednesday, June 3 to Friday, June 5

PIs and COVID/Lab Safety Officers (LSOs) who have completed mandatory training can return to their labs to finalize details to implement their individual lab plans.

Friday, June 5, 2–3 p.m.

The PI and/or the LSO have attended a mandatory on-line meeting to review important information and Q&A.  This was an all hands meeting open to the entire community.

Saturday, June 6

PIs will be informed as to whether their provisional lab re-entry plans have been Approved. All lab personnel must await this formal Approval before re-entering laboratory space to reopen research.

Monday, June 8 and beyond

Labs with Approved Lab Re-Occupancy Plans (ALRP) may reopen for research, subject to the following requirements:

• All individuals returning to campus must complete the online training for lab personnel, and submit their certification of completion to their PI.
• Each individual returning to campus must complete the online attestation of lack of symptoms for each day they go into the lab.
• Within the next two weeks, all non-Union science and engineering returning scholars (including graduate students) must participate in viral testing. Individuals on the approved roster will be contacted to schedule this.
• The HUHS website will have information about the available schedule for testing and a link to a Qualtrics survey for authorized lab personnel to select an appointment time.
• University-issued face coverings must be worn in all shared spaces. Physical distancing and enhanced cleaning and disinfecting protocols must be followed. Only the University-issued face masks should be worn inside the buildings.

PIs and COVID/Lab Safety Officers are responsible for assuring that their labs function in a safe manner and in accordance with their ALRP, including all operational items listed below. They are encouraged to provide specific lab training and access to their ALRP to all group members. COVID/Lab Safety Officers must be reachable on short notice and available on site as much as their lab re-entry plan allows it.

ALRPs

Each lab must have an approved lab re-occupancy plan before their lab group may return to campus to conduct research.  Changes to laboratory plans must be submitted to Sarah Elwell and cannot be implemented until you receive approval for the change.  Labs are encouraged to minimize changes and not make any changes for the first two weeks after restart.

Weekly check-ins and certifications

Both PIs and LSOs must complete a brief, weekly check in that includes a certification that their plan and all Harvard COVID-19 policies are being followed. This Qualtrics form will also allow PIs to make changes or updates to their lab personnel roster.

Training

Lab members must complete required EHS “Lab COVID-19 Awareness Training” (Course ID: EHS-C19LAB170) online before returning to campus.

Health reporting

Harvard’s health-reporting app, Crimson Clear, will need to be completed daily before coming to campus. Individuals who have not completed the online COVID-19 training and Crimson Clear attestation will be in violation of Harvard policy and are subject to having campus access privileges revoked.

Face covering distribution

Harvard will continue to provide face coverings for all lab group members, which must always be worn when inside Harvard buildings.  One member of each lab — a PI, LSO or PI-designated individual — should have already picked up the lab’s monthly allotment of face coverings at the B1 level of the Northwest building on Wednesday, June 3 between 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. If you have not done so, please contact Joe Vaughan immediately. Individuals should discuss with their PI about how their lab will distribute face coverings to each individual in the lab. If you need help defining a distribution plan, please contact Joe Vaughan immediately.

Lab PPE

Labs are responsible for providing their own lab-specific PPE as necessary for their research.  If they are unable to procure them in time they may contact Sarah Elwell for assistance in obtaining a short-term supply. If PPE cannot be obtained, the work requiring the PPE must be curtailed until the lab has obtained the proper PPE.

Restrooms and public spaces

See your lab’s ALRP for details. Please note that it is not permitted to use signage to designate bathrooms to specific labs.

Public convening spaces that should not be used have been marked and should be considered off-limits except for passing through. Do not remove caution tape, move furniture, or sit in the areas that have been taped off.

Eating and kitchens

All refrigerators, microwaves, and other food preparation appliances in shared spaces are not to be used. Individuals may bring a packed meal and are to store it with their personal belongings on campus, using ice packs, etc. as necessary. Food may only be consumed according to ALRP’s or in one of the designated eating areas. Only marked seats are to be used in these rooms and individuals are required to clean surfaces before and after use with the cleaning supplies in the room. If you cannot locate the cleaning supplies please contact Joe Vaughan immediately.

Concerns about returning to campus

If you have a concern, such as an underlying condition, regarding returning to work on campus, then you are encouraged to speak with your PI or HSCRB leadership about your concerns. Additionally, these issues can be raised with Human Resources (for staff), Faculty Affairs (for academic appointments and postdocs), or Danielle Farrell, Director of Student Services (for graduate students).

Specific HSCRB and FAS contacts:

• Academic appointments:
  • HSCRB: Danielle Oliver, Program Manager, Academic and Faculty Affairs, danielle_oliver@harvard.edu, 617-496-1584
  • FAS: Zoe Fonseca-Kelly, Assistant Dean for Science, FAS Office for Faculty Affairs, zoefonseca-kelly@fas.harvard.edu, 617-495-5083
• Staff:
  • HSCRB: Gosia Sklodowska, Associate Director of Administration, gosia_sklodowska@harvard.edu, 617-495-7727
  • FAS: Etaine Smith, Senior HR Consultant, FAS Human Resources, etaine_smith@harvard.edu, 617-496-9380

The guidance for sponsored research is evolving quickly. Harvard’s Office for Sponsored Programs maintains updated information about funding policies for federal sponsors and non-federal sponsors.

Animal Research and Care

The Office of Animal Resources has continued care of all species housed in the BRI and satellite locations, and to respond to potential effects related to access, coordination of animal research activities and staffing schedules during each ramp up phase.

Please refer to the OAR website and communications from Kate Pritchett-Corning, DVM, Director of OAR, relating a return to normal research activity in each phase of the COVID-19 ramp up.

During full shutdown, only minimal, mission-critical lab personnel was permitted to access the facilities. OAR recommended reducing breeding, cryopreserving murine strains where possible, preserving food, and other measures.

During the Phased ramp up periods, additional researchers will be allowed into the BRI during restricted hours (2pm to 8pm) in order to start animal experiments and conduct animal related procedures, including plug checks (allowed between 5am and 6:30am), administration of drugs and agents and perform surgical experiments (both 2pm to 8pm).  OAR has set up a pink “Move This Cage” card system to avoid multiple occupancy situations. Please continue to stay out of the animal rooms when OAR is working to allow us to finish as quickly as possible to turn the areas over to you.

Note: Light cycles have been changed (6am to 8pm) throughout the facility to accommodate changes in personnel schedules and allow for extended time for researchers to access the facility. Time changes were implemented throughout all pods unless a PI requested an exception.

Wear your university-assigned mask at all times. Please check holding rooms before entering and DO NOT ENTER if animal care staff is present or working.  Set up a scheduling calendar for your procedure rooms to avoid contact with other researchers to abide by density and distancing guidance.

Animal ordering updates:  OAR will continue to receive animals on Tu, W, and Th, there is one order point per lab, and overall animal order number restrictions remain. There is a new policy around the short-notice order of timed pregnant animals which is posted here: https://oar.fas.harvard.edu/eanimal-ordering

Training:  Since OAR training is suspended until further notice, they have devised a lab-based, OAR-certified trainer plan for techniques training for new investigators.

Fees:  As more people return to campus, and investigators re-staff laboratories, OAR is ending the fee holiday for overcrowded separations and non-medical euthanasias.  These fees will be reinstated on 1 August 2020.

Please expect further updates on facility access, custom cage ordering, controlled substances, and a mandatory OAR refresher training in the coming weeks.

Please contact Mimi Crowley or Kate Pritchett-Corning with any questions or concerns.

HSCRB Core Facilities

All HSCRB core facilities reopened Monday, June 8. Core staff will be returning on modified schedules in order to abide by the new density guidance and ensure physical distancing and a safe working environment.

The core facilities submitted their own lab re-entry plans and have provisional approval at this time. The summary of these plans is:

• Staff will be working in shifts with minimal or no overlap.
• All cores will be tech or staff service only. Some cores now allow certain self-service access. Please contact the Core managers with questions.
• All samples for Histology, FACS will be submitted in a coordinated drop off and pick up effort.
• All service requests will be submitted by email or by online forms.

Please note that the HSCI iPS Core will also require coordinated drop off and pick up.

Lab Services (media prep, glass wash & autoclave services)

Lab Services will return to offering full service for all labs upon resumption of research activity within the labs.

Initially, Lab Services Core will be staff-service only. Self-service will be permitted on a reservation basis to ensure the required density requirements and ensure physical distancing. Specific times and equipment are reserved for self-service.

Lab Services (glass wash/media/autoclaving) will have drop off and pick up locations in the corridor to ensure minimal/no contact between staff and researchers. We will be setting up those stations during the first week we return to campus.

Fee-for-service staff-service only (Phase I and II):

1. Researchers will complete an online form detailing their media request. Glassware can be dropped off at a corridor station for processing.
2. Tasks will be assigned to a staff member by lab or volume. Researchers will notify by email when they drop-off their work request items at the designated collection racks in the corridor.
3. Core staff will notify researcher when work requests (glassware, pipets, media, plates) are completed and placed in the designated contactless drop-off location as work requests are completed.
4. Communication with core staff will be available by email or phone. Staff members will disinfect work areas (benches/computers/equipment) before/after each use according to previously established protocols.
5. Hourly rates will remain the same. Staff can provide an estimate for the length of time for processing their orders if needed.

Please contact LaTasha Jakes or Joe Vaughan with any questions or concerns you may have.

Histology Services

Fee-for-service staff-service only (Phase I and II): Self-service will be permitted on a reservation basis to ensure the required density requirements and ensure physical distancing. Specific times and equipment are reserved for self-service.

1. Researchers will complete an online form detailing their sample processing requests. Samples can be dropped off at a corridor station or placed into a designated shelf in the B16 freezers designated for sample drop off.
2. Researchers will notify by email when they drop-off their work request items at the designated collection station in the corridor.
3. Core staff will notify researcher when their samples have been processed. Completed samples will be placed in the designated contactless drop-off location and lab members will be notified.
4. Communication with core staff will be available by email or phone.
5. Staff members will disinfect work areas (benches/computers/equipment) before/after each use according to previously established protocols.
6. Hourly rates will remain the same. Staff can provide an estimate for the length of time for processing their orders if needed. Please expect processing time to be slightly longer initially.

Please contact Cathy MacGillivray or Joe Vaughan with any questions or concerns you may have.

Flow Cytometry Services

The HSCRB Flow Cytometry Core has reopened in a limited availability mode, limiting the number of sorts per day (~ 2-6 per day dependent on time length) in order to minimize traffic. All sorting will be “fee-for-service,” according to the process described below.

Fee-for-service staff-service (Phase II):  Self-service will be permitted on a reservation basis to ensure the required density requirements and ensure physical distancing. Specific times and equipment are reserved for self-service.

1. Researchers will send an email or fill out a scheduling software form detailing their experiment, cell type, fluorochromes and suggested date for sorting/analysis.
2. The experiment will be assigned to a Flow Core staff member (Joyce or Nema) who will provide the researcher with a confirmed scheduled time. Researchers will notify core staff before they drop-off their sample in the designated sample bench prior to their appointment.
3. HCSRB Flow Core staff will notify the researcher when samples and sort are completed and upload data to a USB drive and place both the samples and the drive in the designated contactless sample drop-off location.
4. If a researcher wishes to see live results of sorting and panel design, a separate device laptop hooked up to the monitors for screen sharing via Zoom will be used (in the case that software and computers are not hooked to network). Real time communication via wireless headphones or phone may also be doable.
5. Flow Core staff members will disinfect benches/computers/BD FACS ARIA and LSR before and after each use according to established protocols.
6. Hourly charges will remain the same for the time being. Researchers will be asked to estimate the length of their experiment upon sample submission. This will be updated by Flow Core staff after sorting is complete.

Please contact Joyce LaVecchio or Amy Wagers with any questions or concerns you may have.

Departmental Laboratories

Preparing your labs and workspaces:

• For Phase 1 reentry, Labs are responsible for starting up their instruments and equipment (e.g. incubators) and having supplies on hand for restart.
• For Phase 1 reentry, Labs are responsible for preparing their labs spaces, demarcating assigned workspaces, and posting COVID-19 and safety signage.
• For Phase II ramp up, Labs are still responsible for managing the cleaning of their workspaces and removing biohazard trash bins. Bins are to be placed outside the labs in the designated locations for pick up by custodial staff.  If lab spaces require custodial cleaning, please notify Building Operations/Custodial services and indicate which bays require cleaning.

Hazardous Waste Disposal and Waste Removal

Custodial Services and lab waste disposal will be available as research and university operations resume. We have implemented more stringent cleaning procedures focusing on common areas, restrooms and frequently touched zones (e.g. door handles, chair arms, stair railings).

For Phase II, the custodial staff will be restricted from entering the Bauer/Fairchild lab spaces as much as possible but specific cleaning is now permitted, please contact Mike Finklea or Phil Norton to arrange specific cleaning.

Lab members within each lab will be expected to tie up red biohazard bags and close the biowaste plastic bins as they do now, but now they are to also roll them to a designated location on each floor for custodial staff to remove each day.

For Fairchild Levels 1 through 3, the designated drop off locations will be at the north freight elevator within the lab space.  New biohazard boxes and bags will be in their normal locations. For Fairchild Level G, the north elevator area inside the lab will be the designated location. For Bauer Labs, the current use of the corridor outside of the labs will remain.

Chemical waste will continue to be picked up by Triumvirate at satellite accumulation areas, typically in or near fume hoods on each floor.

If any cleaning or waste-disposal issues arise, please contact Phil Norton.

Kitchenettes and gathering areas:

For Phase II, kitchenettes reopened to individual use.

General guidelines

• All mitigation guidelines that apply to labs (regarding, e.g., mask use, occupancy, etc.) also apply for the room housing the kitchen area.
• Single occupancy use of the kitchen area.
• Avoid any cross touching of flatware, lunch bags, etc. If cross contamination occurs, either disinfect or dispose of contaminated item/surface.
• Researchers supply their own food preparation and service items and store these in a secure location outside of the kitchen after use.

Preparation of food and other kitchen activities

Procedure of use of microwave, refrigerator, coffee machine, dishwasher, etc.

1. Wash/disinfect hands
2. Don single use gloves, provided in kitchen area and different in color from lab gloves
3. Proceed with kitchen activities
4. Wipe down touched surfaces and counter around area used
5. Doff single use gloves
6. Wash/disinfect hands

The chairs and tables in sitting areas will be temporarily cordoned off or removed by building operations staff to prohibit gathering in our public spaces.

Ordering, Shipping & Receiving and Mail

HUMS will resume delivery to the mail boxes. Ordering supplies and shipping and receiving continue to operate and will be available as research and university operations resume.  Receiving will have modified loading dock hours but maintain daily deliveries to the labs.  Items that are perishable are placed in temporary refrigerators and freezers provided by Building Operations.

Ordering Supplies:  During our time away from campus, the university has transitioned from HCOM to the new Buy2Pay purchase requisition system. For Buy2Pay training, please contact your representative on the Finance/Business Operations Team.

Sample Pickup and Servicing Equipment

Vendor services may now resume. Equipment issues and continuity of these services will be addressed as they arise. If a vendor is unable to access the building, please contact Phil Norton.

Chemical Waste Pickup

Chemical waste collection and disposal will continue on an increasing schedule as university operations resume. If issues arise, contact Sid Paula or Joe Vaughan.

Cold Storage and Freezers

If issues arise with cold storage units or lab freezers, essential operations staff will be on hand to:

• Change LN2 tanks.
• Handle equipment alarms and failures.
• Transfer items to another cold storage unit within the department.

There are -20°C and -80°C backup freezers available in B16 for temporary storage. Phil Norton has two extra chest freezers in case they are needed. To place material in the freezers, or for assistance in the event of an emergency, contact Phil Norton and Joe Vaughan.

Equipment Alarms

Contact the Operations Center, Harvard Energy and Facilities: (617) 495-5560

The Operations Center provides 24/7 alarm monitoring, facility response and emergency call center services to all University buildings. Calls they can service range from routine work requests for HVAC, electrical and plumbing issues to facility-related emergencies such as fires, floods or elevator entrapments.

Any person who becomes aware of an imminent threat to the safety of the community or one of its members, including self-harm, should immediately notify the appropriate police department:

• On campus: 617-495-1212 (HUPD)
• Off campus: 9-1-1 (local police)

Contact Joe Vaughan at 617-496-0252 for any research- or laboratory-operations-related issues.

Harvard University Health Services Urgent Care Number is (617) 495-5711.

We understand this change raises many questions, and we encourage you to discuss these directly with your manager. HSCRB Chairs, faculty, and administration are committed to finding ways to make this new work environment effective.

Please ensure you have remote access to files and email and access to a laptop set up for VPN access. It is important that you familiarize yourself with Harvard’s data security policies and procedures.

Please check that all necessary software you will need to work remotely is up-to-date and appropriately licensed. The HUIT website is a point of reference for these resources.

If you have difficulties connecting to VPN or other technical issues, please put in a ticket to HUIT, as they are best placed to answer your questions and should be made aware of where people are having the most difficulty.

On May 1, GSAS launched the Emergency Support Initiative to help PhD students overcome academic disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The initiative includes additional funding as well as fellowship opportunities for recent graduates.

• The Bok Center website offers a series of guiding questions and resources to help with adjusting teaching content, activities, and assessments to an online format.
• The University website on teaching remotely offers additional information.
• The HMS Curriculum Fellows Program offers curriculum-focused support and can answer questions about best practices for online teaching, ways to adapt content or assignments to a remote environment, and other related issues. Contact: cfp@hms.harvard.edu
• Access Zoom Video Conferencing for your FAS Course