Masking & Distancing No Longer Required for Vaccinated Research Staff

A message from Dr. Kunkel:

Dear Colleagues,

Last Thursday, President Schlissel announced that beginning today, fully vaccinated students, faculty and staff who self-report their vaccine information to the university will no longer be required to wear a mask or socially distance. This allows vaccinated research faculty and staff to work without masks in labs and research spaces. A few additional points to keep in mind:

• Fully vaccinated individuals must continue to wear face coverings with participants in human research and in health care areas where patients may be present. Please stay tuned to Michigan Medicine Headlines for the latest guidelines regarding masking and social distancing in clinical settings.
• Close proximity approval is now only required for research and training activities when all members of the team involved in the activity have not self-reported being vaccinated.
• Work that can occur remotely should continue to be done in that manner until September 13.

The Facilities team has also asked us to remind you that Medical School and NCRC buildings remain restricted to faculty, staff, and students. Your Mcard allows you to enter all secured doors at either complex 24/7. They also offer a reminder that everyone is required to take a COVID-19 training module prior to building access and returning to work, and that use of the Responsiblue app is also still required prior to entering any U-M building.

As of this morning, U-M had administered over 71,000 COVID vaccine doses, there were 11 COVID patients in our hospital, and the Washtenaw County Health Department reported only two new confirmed cases last Friday  What a difference a year makes – we were certainly facing a much different environment this time last year. These numbers are a testament to our entire university and community working together to take on the pandemic and return to normality. Once again, I would like to express my appreciation for your continued resilience and commitment to our research mission.

Best regards,
Steve

Steven L. Kunkel, Ph.D.
Executive Vice Dean for Research, Medical School
Chief Scientific Officer, Michigan Medicine
Peter A. Ward Distinguished University Professor
Endowed Professor of Pathology Research