January 16, 2021
Dear Members of the Research Community:
As a follow-up to my January 13th email, I would like to thank you for your continued efforts to find ways to reduce your research team’s on-campus capacity as McMaster expands its safety measures during the provincial state of emergency and stay-at-home orders.
As I mentioned, your individual and collective commitment to keeping our community safe throughout the pandemic has allowed much of our research to continue, albeit at a limited capacity.
While our newest directives are more restrictive than the government’s mandated guidelines, our goal is threefold: to minimize the risk to the McMaster and broader communities; to work to ensure we’re able to maintain on-campus research activity in the longer term; and to assist the province in its goal to manage the demands on the healthcare system. This is a critical time for our healthcare colleagues in the city and across the province, and it’s our responsibility to take every reasonable precaution to help manage the pandemic.
Initially, we asked that all PIs limit their research group’s capacity to 50 percent of their current approved research plan. This continues to be our aspirational goal, and we recognize that many of you have already met that target.
With that in mind, at this time, you are not required to update your plans through the portal for ADR/VDR approval. We will continue to monitor the situation and update you accordingly. In the meantime, please ensure that all members of your team work from home when possible and, when they must be on campus, they limit their time, restrict their movements and adhere to all face mask and social distancing guidelines.
Thanks again for doing your part,
Karen Mossman
Vice-President, Research