Hello everyone,

I wanted to make you aware of a recent change in the procedure of handling research space (including offices) after confirmed positive cases of Covid-19 accessing these spaces. With the number of Covid-19 cases increasing on campus, it is possible that our School will also experience positive cases, thus is important to be aware of these changes.

The Office of the Executive Vice President for Research and Partnerships sent last week the information below (see some important information highlighted in yellow) to all Point of Contacts listed on the Covid Research Space SOPs. In short, this means that disinfection of research space after a person accessing this space tested positive for Covid-19 is only needed if the person accessed the space in the last 24 hours before their positive test.

To keep everyone safe, please continue to wear your mask and follow the Protect Purdue guidelines and recommendations. The latest updates can be found here: https://protect.purdue.edu/updates/ .

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Dear Research Community,  

Consistent with the latest medical evidence, we will be modifying our Research Space COVID-19 processes. For the past 1.5 years, we have been sending notifications to research space Points of Contact (POCs) when someone listed on their SOP tests positive for COVID-19. The intent of these notifications has been to request that the POC implement a thorough cleaning and disinfection of their space to curtail any potential surface transmission of COVID-19. This was due to the fact that Building Services typically does not clean labs and other research spaces on campus as they would classrooms. When this system was first implemented, CDC guidelines indicated that surface transmission was possible for up to seven days after contamination. The CDC has now shortened this window to 24 hours.

In light of the timing of our notifications, it is no longer scientifically prudent to expend our stretched resources to send these communications. This change has been approved by the Protect Purdue Implementation Team. With the prevalence of Omicron, Purdue must devote their capacity to those efforts that are most effective in managing the spread of COVID-19. With that, we will be suspending our Research Space COVID-19 notifications to POCs. However, we will still monitor—daily—all COVID-positives associated with research spaces, tracking any trends or areas of concern, as the safety of our research enterprise is our highest concern.

We greatly appreciate your work to keep your SOP updated with the most current personnel and ask that you continue this practice, as this is still our primary way to monitor how COVID-19 is impacting research operations. If you have any questions, please contact Michelle Dennis, mlong1@purdue.edu.

In addition, please continue to monitor the Protect Purdue website for the most current information and guidance, where masks when indoors on campus, and stay home if you are feeling sick.

Thank you,
Theresa S. Mayer

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Please let me know if you have questions, and thank you for your commitment to safety!

Gabriela

__________________

Gabriela Nagy, PhD

Industrial Education Director

Davidson School of Chemical Engineering

Room FRNY G051

Purdue University

Tel: (765)-496-1710

E-mail: nagyg@purdue.edu