Since the pandemic hit last year, Mason has been operating under an evolving set of rules to conduct research on campus and in the field. Those rules have been driven by proper concerns about the safety of our faculty, students, and staff as well as the safety of others with whom we interact.

Over the last several months, the nation and Commonwealth have been gradually relaxing many of the safety protocols as vaccinations have grown and COVID cases and deaths have fallen. With such a steadily improving situation, we are taking the next step. This afternoon Aurali Dade agreed that we no longer need special rules and protocols for the conduct of research on campus and in the field. 

Effective immediately, research activities will follow the same COVID guidance as do other Mason activities with regard to masking, social distancing, room capacity, disinfecting, etc. This guidance can generally be found on the Safe Return to Campus website. We are also retiring the need to submit requests to resume research or to update existing requests when circumstances change.

If you have specific questions about your research situation, please reach out to me. The VPR will also be updating information on the Research Continuity Guidelines website.

Regards.