Research Town Hall, Progressive Ramp-up
May 6, 2020
IMPORTANT: Please ensure to regularly consult the Faculty of Medicine research ramp-up guidelines and other information. As the situation continues to evolve and decisions are made, guidelines and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) will change. Please also visit the University’s COVID webpages and FAQs often for up-to-date information.
Ramp-up Planning:
What Faculty of Medicine building(s) is (are) scheduled to open first?
A. Strathcona. It may open as early as the week of May 11, provided plans are submitted and approved, and government directives for Montreal do not indicate otherwise.
What Faculty building(s) are next?
A. Provided the pilot goes well, the Life Sciences Complex is scheduled to be next, including the McIntyre, the GCRC and the Bellini Building.
Have building opening hours been confirmed?
A. Central is working on this with HR and others to confirm the best, most flexible arrangement, taking into consideration availability of personnel, policies and union agreements.
Can we assume 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. and weekends?
A. Plan with Monday to Friday 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. in mind. Weekends are only for Facilities at this point. This being said, we will advocate for weekends, where essential, in our meetings with Central.
Important: the intention is not to have everyone present in the first weeks. Prioritize experiments that can be accomplished during standard opening hours. We must also consider union agreements, costs in overtime, and our employees’ and staff’s personal constraints.
How do we manage cross-lab contamination when using common equipment?
A. Investigators will need to coordinate their plans with others in their areas and agree upon cleaning protocols for common equipment.
Considering ƻԺ Chairs are not fully aware of circumstances in sites at the RIs or off-campus, are RI directors not better placed to be the appropriate authority there?
A. These directives ONLY apply to those with on-campus labs. Each RI has its own policy.
Should student permission to work be obtained from the department vs directly from PIs to avoid students feeling pressured to work?
A. Yes. Students will be contacted by Associate Dean Aimee Ryan and asked to complete a webform confirming their consent and/or raising any concerns they may have.
Should we contact HR regarding individuals who cannot return due to daycare issues? Will there be a policy for families with young children to support them?
A. Please consult with your HR liaison.
Shift requirements vary between labs based on the nature of the experiment; how do we manage that?
A. Every lab must determine what will work best based on the directives and research, as well as their students’ and staff’s personal constraints and concerns. However, labs sharing space should coordinate their work to ensure social distancing at all times. It is also important to consider overlap of personnel to minimize the individuals with whom a person is in contact.
What are plans for common facilities, like the mouse house? Also, what about movement between buildings (e.g., McMed to GCC, GCC to Bellini)?
A. Core facilities, including mouse facilities, are preparing their plans; any movement between core facilities must be coordinated based on the plans. Regarding other buildings, only Strathcona is opening at this time; you can’t move between buildings until they are open. Movement between buildings will be confirmed based on the pilot outcomes.
Do we know when the animal facility will be operational, specifically, for animals going in and out for behavioural assessment, and new animal ordering.
A. Animal facilities have continued minimal operations and are aware of the ramp-up. For specifics as the buildings open, please contact CMARC for guidance. Importantly, people need to respect LD schedules in animal facilities. Rooms should not be entered before lights on or after lights off. Researchers must follow the ramp-up directives and physical distancing instructions issued by the animal facility.
Does the one person per 16 square meter rule apply in lunch rooms?
A. Yes. Anywhere students or staff spend time.
Can trainees, others use offices?
A. Any work that can be done remotely must be done remotely; only if a project requires a student to remain onsite, for example, while waiting for assays to be completed, should in-office work be considered. In such cases, physical distancing/PPE directives must apply. Additionally, students should not be using work cubicles unless distancing is maintained or plexiglass dividers have been installed.
Staff/students need to eat outside labs, if they can’t eat in offices, what are the options?
A. The goal is to get people to the bench; that should be the only place they go, and the plans should work towards that. Consider planning shifts that do not span mealtimes.
Some research needs two people (some animal surgeries and procedures for instance). What are the policies in those instances?
A. If a lab deems this research to be priority and makes the decision to include it in the ramp-up, then PPE and other safety measures must be employed. Note that CMARC has protocol for this.
Can one person do two shifts to accommodate long experiments?
A. Shifts should be defined to accomodate high priority experiments. Wellbeing and safety must come first.
If I have one student at a time in the lab, could I offer my office to bridge waiting times?
A. Provided cleaning and distancing protocols are respected, this could be an option.
What about training that requires one-on-one interactions?
A. This won’t resume immediately, unless safety of participants can be ensured and PPE available. Consider remote alternatives.
Can we teach inexperienced students in the ramping up period?
A. No, unless exceptional circumstances apply. (See previous question.)
Will there be access in emergencies, like freezer breakdowns, etc.?
A. Yes, we are working to ensure emergency access. Please bring emergencies to the attention of the Building Director’s Office. We will ensure there is an emergency contact who can activate IDs if essential.
Visits to private offices can be absolutely essential because of documents and computer resources in office. There should be a way that this can be arranged.
A. If there is an essential need, contact your Department Chair or Unit Director and build this need into your ramp-up plan. For the time being, the EOC has indicated that faculty members should not be working in their offices.
Why are two weeks necessary before another building is re-opened?
A. Central is preparing all the buildings; details need to be worked out for each. So piloting is necessary. It will take several days to get each set of buildings ready, for plans to be finalized, to ensure everything needed is ordered, etc., before they can evaluate and move on to the next set. Keep in mind, Montreal is still very much a hot zone; this has to be done very carefully.
What metrics will be used to evaluate whether it’s safe to move on to the next set of buildings?
A. Measures will include: no outbreaks, no contamination in the workplace, as smooth a process as possible, proper management of staff, compliance and respect vis-à-vis security, physical distancing, students not feeling pressured. The responsibility is on everyone’s shoulders; it is a community effort. Please share feedback with us, so we can improve the process as we go.
Would it be possible to share the plan created for Strathcona?
A. We expect outcomes of pilots and recommended practices based on findings will be shared in the form of updated guidelines. Joaquin Ortega in Strathcona has also said he would be happy to share the one they are developing for FEMR once piloted and approved.
Is there a difference in re-opening schedules between animal, basic and clinical labs?
A. We did not approach it this way. The first consideration is whether work can be done remotely. After that, it is building by building, and then considering physical distancing, and then PPE.
Can we assume that Priority B students/projects will be allowed into the lab later in the summer?
A. We hope, but it is too early to tell.
If density allows, will undergraduate summer trainees be allowed to work in labs?
A. Undergraduate honours courses were cancelled if they were not able to proceed remotely. Undergraduate research students (e.g., NSERC USRA, Summer Bursary program) are expected to work remotely.
If we have offices in the lab can we use them for student workspaces to allow separation?
A. Provided physical distancing and other safety directives are applied.
How will this “trust-based” approach enable an accurate assessment of compliance?
A. The pilot is to be monitored using feedback from researchers, students, Security, Facilities, etc. This is everyone’s responsibility; it is a collective, community effort. Plans must be clear, well thought-out and rigorously implemented, putting safety and wellbeing first, to succeed.
Safety, Testing, Suspected Cases, Outbreaks:
Will ƻԺ be testing/screening for the virus?
A. No. A more pragmatic approach will be implemented. There will be a health questionnaire at entry and clear instructions about safety directives, i.e., hand washing, physical distancing, etc.
Are there guidelines on the length of time two or more workers can share a common room?
A. When distance is respected or PPE is in place there are no public health guidelines that limit time together. That being said, we are proposing shifts that ideally do not span mealtimes, so less than full days. But each lab and project is different and so this must be decided locally.
PPE other than masks are in limited in supply now; will Central provide?
A. ƻԺ Procurement is launching a survey about PPE needs. Please watch for it and complete it; PPE will be procured centrally and individual labs will order from the ƻԺ central store.
Are home-made masks ok?
A. Above all, the 2-meter physical distancing directive is priority. The consensus in the medical community is that procedure masks are superior to home-made masks, which are superior to wearing nothing, providing 2-metre distancing is also observed. Safety must first focus on maintaining, without fail, 2-metre physical distancing, with or without masks.
How do we get plexiglass, if needed, for spaces that do not allow for the required physical distancing?
A. This is to be ordered through ƻԺ FMAS (Luc Roy, Director, Building Operations) for situations in which it is absolutely necessary (e.g., to permit certain face-to-face interactions).
What specific anti-COVID-19 protective equipment must be worn in a facility if it is impossible to maintain 2 metres of physical distancing?
A. In a facility, if physical distancing or implementation of technical controls (such as physical barrier) is impossible, the following protective equipment is required.
- A procedure (surgical) mask and protective eyewear (protective glasses or visor)
or
- A visor alone is possible, as a last resort solution, in case of safety risks. For example, if the mask causes fogging in the protective eyewear despite the search for technical solutions to remedy this. For example, some coating allow reduction of fogging on protective eyewear and this solution can be deployed quickly.
Wearing protective equipment must not represent an additional risk for the worker's safety in performing tasks. Also, as provided in section 5 of the AOHS. "The fact that collective individual means of protection or safety equipment are put at the disposal of workers where necessary to meet their special needs must in no way reduce the effort expended to eliminate, at the source, dangers to the health, safety and physical well-being of workers."
Reference: INSPQ, Avis sur le port de la visière et du couvre-visage par les travailleurs (Notice on wearing of a visor and a face covering by workers), May 12, 2020
What about cleaning, security?
A. Each lab’s plan must take into consideration all of these details.
Buildings will be cleaned and secured, and the University is working with HR and Security to establish the required levels of coverage and negotiate flexibility, taking into consideration personnel policies and union agreements. Within each lab, safety and cleaning protocols must be established and rigorously implemented, based on your space, equipment, etc. We will need to clean very thoroughly. All surfaces will need to be wiped down after each shift. So the more shifts, the more cleaning will be needed and the less time you will have for actual research. On the other hand, if people are scheduled to be present all day, they will need to eat, and arrangements will have to made to ensure they can safely do so.
Are there guidelines for how to clean and with what?
A. There will be general guidelines from EHS, but each PI must consider the particularities of their own lab and equipment and establish additional protocols, as necessary.
Will there be laundry services for lab coats?
A. We have been informed that contracts with laundry services are managed at the department/unit level. Each unit should confirm arrangements to ensure access for pickup/dropoff in coordination with the Building Director’s office.
If more than one person is in a bathroom or elevator wearing masks, is that ok?
A. Physical distancing should be ensured at all times. Avoid more than one person in bathrooms. If impossible, masks and appropriate PPE must be worn. Elevators may only be occupied by one person at a time.
What about waste management?
A. Final details are being worked out; this is why Central wants to start slow with only a few buildings, to work out the challenges.
Do we get our own masks or will they be supplied as many gave their masks away?
A. Central is procuring these supplies, along with such things as gloves, disinfectant, etc. Labs will have to order from the central ƻԺ procurement stocks. Details of procedures are to be confirmed.
Some students are volunteering at long-term care facilities. Should they self-isolate for two weeks before returning to campus?
A. If a student was working in a CHSLD or any other long-term care unit, the Faculty requires them to self-isolate for 14 days for precautionary purposes, prior to accessing on-campus buildings.
Important: change depending on the pandemic status in Montreal or any given region. We encourage all to stay up-to-date with the latest directives. If there is any uncertainty, all should err on the side of caution and self-isolate.
What does one do if they come in contact with someone who is COVID-19 positive or suspected of being positive?
A. Self-declare as per ƻԺ’s instructions for or , as the case may be.
What is the procedure of tracing contacts for a COVID-19 positive individual?
A. This is a government- and public health authorities-led procedure conducted in collaboration with the University and those concerned to ensure contacts are traced and notified. .
If there is an outbreak, will buildings be closed?
A. Yes. Immediately. It is for this reason our plans need to be thoroughly thought-out and rigorously implemented. This is a community responsibility with a shared goal to ramp up our Faculty research safely, smoothly and efficiently. (A single case is not considered an outbreak.)
Other:
Does lockdown access for essential staff still apply?
A. Yes. However, once the new resumption form is online and the relevant buildings are opened, those PIs who had staff or trainees with essential work access are asked to fill it out as well, and will need to respect guidelines that are being implemented as buildings reopen. Chairs will need to approve, as with all new resumption requests.
Is any activity allowed in other buildings, based on special permission, for example, to recommission instruments that take time to start-up, etc.?
A. All other Faculty buildings remain closed, except where pre-approved essential services are being conducted; only exemptions are authorized until your building reopens. Other activities cannot begin.
Outside of research labs, can we begin considering letting others into offices to mitigate disruptions experienced working at home?
A. The University is not currently considering this.
Will parking on campus still be free for the time being?
A. Yes at this time, and as activity on campus continues to ramp up, the situation will be re-evaluated.
Are there restrictions for people moving between research centres, e.g., MUHC, hospitals and campus?
A. Directives in place at the destination institution will apply.
Who makes the decisions?
A. EOC issues University directives and guidelines, based on input from multiple committees that include Faculty representation and expert input, and that are approved by the University’s Policy Group.
University Research Ramp-up Principles & Other Information:
- For more information about the University’s Principles and Guidelines for research ramp-up, click .
- For other University COVID-19 related information, including reporting illness, click .