Courtesy of Dr. Barbara Bendlin
University of Wisconsin faculty suspended all in-person face-to-face research interactions on Wednesday due to COVID-19 risks, according to an email sent by university faculty.
All in-person lab and research activities are cancelled until Sept. 21, according to an email from the faculty of the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education. The faculty advised undergraduate students to not participate in study teams that meet directly with human subjects.
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“Undergraduate students should not be part of study teams working directly with human subjects for the next two weeks, though they may continue to support related activities that do not involve in-person interactions,” UW faculty said in the email.
The suspension came two days after UW Chancellor Rebecca Blank directed all undergraduate students to restrict their movements for two weeks, encouraging only essential activities such as grocery shopping or working.
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The suspension does not impact undergraduate students involved in research activities that do not meet directly with human subjects, according to the email. Such research is permitted to continue as it is considered an essential activity by Blank, UW faculty said.
“Our goals are to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 infection and promote the safety of our human research participants and our community,” UW faculty said in the email.