ZSFG-SPECIFIC FAQ FOR UCSF RESEARCH
There is now a Color Test Kit vending machine at ZSFG, located in the Building 9 lobby. Please refer to the https://coronavirus.ucsf.edu/testing website for guidance and questions.
Selected Announcements and Guidance from DPH and the UCSF Office of Research
A full list of communications from the UCSF Office of Research regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19) Related Guidance to Researchers can be found at https://research.ucsf.edu/.
All employees at ZSFG should follow ZSFG Employee Health Respiratory Viral Illness and COVID-19 Infection Control Interim Guidance for Employees Working on Campus. This includes guidance for:
- monitoring symptoms
- clearance to return to campus after COVID-19 diagnosis
- exposure assessment
- return from travel
UCSF employees at ZSFG must also comply with Mandatory COVID-19 policies issued by the Office of the Chancellor, including the following:
- All eligible UCSF staff, faculty, and learners must receive a booster vaccination by January 31.
- Effective immediately, the California Department of Public Health requires all on-site workers not vaccinated with a booster to be tested on-site for COVID-19 twice a week.
The UCSF Office of Research has announced an early termination of the hold on Category 3 on-site clinical research visits effective Monday, January 24. All Category 3 research activities can resume at that time, with careful attention to continued compliance with UCSF’s COVID policies.
September 30, 2021 - Effective 10/1, anyone entering ZSFG Campus will need to be fully vaccinated with exception of patients and outpatient visitors. This includes vendors and service technicians working on lab equipment. If you work with outside vendors, agencies, organizations or receive deliveries, the representative will need to be fully vaccinated and must enter through Building 25 lobby or Building 5 Loading dock.
Details of this policy are provided in the ZSFG Supplier/Vendor COVID-10 Vaccination Requirement memo issued September 22, 2021. Acceptable documentation for a vendor representative to enter ZSFG includes either 1) a Vendormate badge; or 2) a yellow ZSFG Contractor badge with a vaccination confirmation sticker provided by ZSFG.
As an alternative, a vendor representative can enter the Building 25 lobby wearing a badge issued by their own company and present proof of vaccination to the screener. They would then be allowed to enter the building and proceed to the vaccine clinic on the 2nd floor of Building 5, which is open on Monday to Friday from 7:30 AM to 4 PM. At the vaccine clinic, they can present proof of vaccination again to obtain COVID-19 vaccination stickers (COVID 1 and COVID 2, and if applicable COVID 3) which they can place on their company badge as evidence of vaccination.
Once they have these stickers on their badge they would be allowed to access buildings at ZSFG for that visit. For future visits, they would be able to present their badge with the stickers to the screener in the B25 lobby upon arrival to campus, and then proceed to their service destination.
August 12, 2021 - Updated Meeting Guidelines for ZSFG
August 11, 2021 - Updates to Visitation (Guidelines, FAQS, Memo)
June 22, 2021 - Staff no longer need to show verification of completed screening and screening stickers will no longer be required. Staff are now able to enter through the Building 5 South Lobby. Your ID Badge must be visible to enter. For more information, please read the Staff Screening Changes.
June 14, 2021 - Universal Masking Continuation Guidelines for ZSFG
April 28, 2021 - UCSF has removed specific density restrictions on research activities and is now linking UCSF research guidelines directly to compliance with Cal/OSHA COVID-19 policy (https://www.dir.ca.gov/title8/3205.html).
Previous Announcements and Guidance from DPH and the UCSF Office of Research
ZSFG-Specific FAQ for the Gradual Increase of UCSF Research Activity
This FAQ addresses aspects of this initiative that are unique and specific to ZSFG and is not intended to reiterate information provided in the UCSF guidance. It represents the best current knowledge and will be continually updated as new information becomes available.
If you have questions about the ZSFG-specific policy, please email [email protected].
For questions about the UCSF policy, please email [email protected].
Screening
What screening policy applies at ZSFG?
What happens if I screen positive at one of the ZSFG screening stations, or when using the online screening form?
How do we know if people have been screened?
If a visitor who is not affiliated with UCSF or DPH needs to come to a non-clinical building at ZSFG, will they be allowed to do so? How should they comply with screening and masking requirements?
What is the return to work policy for someone who is symptomatic with upper respiratory illness, or tests positive for COVID-19?
Masking/PPE
What is the masking policy at ZSFG?
Will masks be provided by UCSF or DPH or will my group be expected to purchase them?
How do we get hand sanitizer in our area?
Access & Security
During which hours will ZSFG badges provide access to the red brick buildings?
What is ZSFG doing to keep staff safe on campus and to keep buildings secure from unauthorized access, especially during off-hours shift work implemented to comply with lab capacity limits?
Facilities
Who cleans the research spaces?
What safety precautions do custodians in the red brick buildings take to prevent spread of contamination from one room to the next?
Who should UCSF research and administrative staff contact with questions about custodial services and keeping spaces clean?
Is the air flow safe in my workspace?
What are the parking and transportation options at ZSFG during this time?
Will signs and markings be put in place to remind people about limiting capacity in areas with limited space, and keeping a 6-foot distance?
What if our assigned space doesn't provide enough room for people to stay 6 feet apart?
Clinical Research
I have a current approved ZSFG Research Protocol; what additional approvals do I need to restart clinical research at ZSFG?
If a research subject needs to be tested in advance of a research study (for example, if it is clinical research that involves procedures that induce cough, sneezing or otherwise increase risk of aerosolization), what is the process to do that at ZSFG?
If a research subject screens positive for COVID-19, what instructions should be given to the patient?
What are the PPE requirements for researchers in clinical areas, such as the ED, ICU?
What are the PPE requirements for research subject interviews in non-clinical areas?
Wet Lab Research
Who do I need to notify if people and labs are returning to the ZSFG Campus?
What is being done to ensure that labs at ZSFG are compliant with safety requirements for laboratory research?
If an outside vendor needs to come to ZSFG to provide a service call on an instrument, will they be allowed to do so? How should they comply with screening and masking requirements?
Additional Information
Who should I contact with further questions about current policy for research activity?