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Rules for Emergency Operation
Rules for research under emergency operation
As you know, since Monday, the University of Basel has switched its research to emergency operation (see email from corona@unibas.ch of 22.03.2020, 21:28) due to the public health emergency. Each department has been asked to reduce all research activities that require a physical presence at the university to a minimum and to develop a framework for the continuation of necessary research operations.
Our guiding principle is that – whenever possible – both lab and office work will be carried out remotely. Access to labs will be allowed only for research requiring the physical presence of researchers. Likewise, access to offices will be allowed only if absolutely necessary. In most cases, access to offices should be rare and short in duration, e.g. to trouble-shoot a computer system, pick up a text book, or sign invoices.
Until further notice, we will operate under the following rules:
1) Researchers will only be allowed to work in the Department in designated rooms. These rooms are identified in the attached table. Each room will be accessible only to a restricted number of users, i.e. the research or work group indicated in the table. Furthermore, each room has a maximum number of simultaneous users, shown in the table, to ensure that – at any given time – each user has a minimum personal space of 30 m^2 for him or herself. A closed electronic sign-up system (based on Google Calendar) will ensure that the maximum number of users in a room is never exceeded at one time (your PI will coordinate this, the clean-room area is a special case using its own system). During work, all researchers are to observe social distancing and hygiene regulations set out by BAG (2-m separation, hand-washing, etc.).
2) In the event that a user presents corona virus symptoms or tests positive for the virus, his or her access to the department will immediately be interrupted. All users with access to the same rooms will be notified and sent home for self-quarantine.
3) Cleaning/disinfecting material and latex gloves will be placed in each designated room, to which more than 1 user has access. Cleaning of common surfaces is to be done by each user before and after use.
4) Access to multiple-user bathrooms will be limited to 1 user at a time, using a two-sided occupied/unoccupied sign on the door.
5) Access to all common rooms, coffee kitchens, will be prohibited. Access to lifts will also be prohibited, with the exception of their unmanned use for the movement of large packages, equipment, and cryogenic liquids. These prohibitions will be clearly communicated with signs.
6) All planned meetings between Department members will be done electronically (even between 2 people).
7) Anyone in at-risk categories will not be allowed in the Department.
8) Those with access to the Department should behave in such a way as to protect themselves and their colleagues both inside and outside the Department. They should follow the recommendations given by the BAG (https://www.bag.admin.ch/bag/en/home/krankheiten/ausbrueche-epidemien-pandemien/aktuelle-ausbrueche-epidemien/novel-cov/so-schuetzen-wir-uns.html), including being in public only when necessary, washing hands frequently, and keeping their distance from others.
9) The supply of cryogenic liquids (liquid nitrogen and liquid helium) for essential experiments will be ensured by a rotating member of the machine-shop staff.
Compliance with these rules will be ensured by once or twice daily walk-throughs of the Department. The Department is locked and should only be entered by personnel who have a key.
In case any of the above rules are infringed, all research activities in the department will be immediately and indefinitely stopped.
Please, take these rules seriously. Let me repeat: infringement of these rules will result in a complete and indefinite stop to all research in the department.
Best,
Martino Poggio, Department Chair