Selected Announcements and Guidance from DPH and the UCSF Office of Research
A full list of communications from the Office of Research regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19) Related Guidance to Researchers can be found at https://research.ucsf.edu/.
January 6, 2021 - Effective January 14th, staff screening is transitioning to online screening only.
December 31, 2020 - ZSFG Return to Work Guidance has been updated:
- Employees who return from international travel are mandated to quarantine for 10 days with testing offered between day 5-9 from date of return.
- Emloyees who return from domestic travel outside of the Bay area may continue to work if asymptomatic but are strongly recommended to quarantine for 10 days. Testing may be offered to those with significant risk of domestic travel-related exposure.
- Although there is no explicit statement on HR/leave guidance in the linked document, OHS will counsel employees to contact managers/supervisors regarding travel-related leave. We understand it that travel-related time off will not be considered covid leave, but personal/vacation time.
December 29, 2020 - The Chancellor’s Executive Team (CET) has approved an extension of the current decreased research density levels until 12:01 a.m. on January 19, at which point it will be reassessed and may be extended.
As announced on December 18, the current densities (effective December 24, 2020, and now extended until January 19, 2021) are:
- Laboratory research density at 25%. LARC operations will continue unabated, and there is no need to reduce animal census.
- Clinical research that is not essential to the health of the participant (termed Category 3 research) at 12.5%. It is strongly recommended that research-only onsite visits (i.e., conducted without a concomitant clinical visit) be postponed. COVID-19 clinical research and clinical research determined to be essential to the health and/or well-being of the participant can continue without density restriction.
December 9, 2020 - ZSFG Return to Work Guidance has been updated:
- Quarantine period after community household exposure and high-risk work exposure is shortened to 10 days (previously 14 days), with testing offered at 7-9 days after exposure (previously 5-7 days)
- After return from international travel, self-quarantine is recommended but not required. (If employees make the decision to travel, the time used to self-quarantine does not qualify for COVID leave- per HR).
Please note that gatherings outside of the county or state are not exempt from guidance. Any gathering regardless of location is not currently recommended.
Individuals returning from travel involving gatherings do not need to self quarantine unless they are symptomatic, or have known exposure to someone who is positive or suspected to have COVID-19.
November 2, 2020 - The UCSF Office of Research is strongly encouraging all Clinical Research Coordinators to complete a new online training course, Clinical Research During COVID-19, before the end of November. The brief course is hosted on the UC Learning platform and takes approximately 15 minutes to complete. Additional details including instructions for how to access the course are posted on the Office of Research website.
October 7, 2020 - ZSFG Return to Work Guidance has been updated to clarify:
- circumstances in which employees with household members that have unconfirmed yet high likelihood for having COVID-19 may be quarantined out of work by ZSFG OHS (footnote at the end of Table 4).
- ZSFG and UCSF have slight differences in return to work guidelines. At ZSFG, employees with high risk exposures will be quarantined for 14 days. In other exposure cases, as long as an individual is asymptomatic, they may continue to work. This difference is allowed under CDC staffing shortage mitigation plan.
UCSF employees working at ZSFG will only need to follow ZSFG guidance, but when working at another UCSF location they will need to follow UCSF guidance requiring 14-day quarantine and symptom monitoring for both high and medium risk exposures.
- ZSFG OHS will cc [email protected] representatives with communications on return to work letters. These letters do not contain specific health information, and primarily serve to notify HR departments on expected off work/return to work dates.
September 15, 2020 - Phase 3 of increased onsite research will begin on September 17. Laboratory-based research allowable density will increase to 50% density, or the equivalent of one person per two workstations, and the allowable density for onsite Category 3 clinical research will increase to 25%.
June 26, 2020 - Updated guidance for clinical research, including a Return to Work Checklist with useful information and links for general considerations and research participants.
June 4, 2020 - Phase 2 of the laboratory-based research reopening will begin on June 8th, in which the allowable density will increase to 25% capacity, or about one person per four workstations.
May 14, 2020 - Guidance for Phase 1 of the Planning for Gradual Increase of UCSF Research Activity.
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].
The DPH screening policy applies to all areas on the ZSFG campus. No matter where you work on campus or what job you do, every day you will need to wear a mask, and every day you will need be screened for active infection either in person or using the ZSFG online screening form. If you have completed the DPH screening, you do not also need to complete the UCSF screening to work at ZSFG. However, the UCSF online screening tool is not currently accepted at the ZSFG campus. UCSF employees working at ZSFG must complete DPH screening.
If you will work in one of the clinical areas, you must visit one of the designated screening entrances to clinical buildings at ZSFG listed below. Clinical work areas include: Buildings 25, 5, 9, 4, 100 (Outpatient Dialysis only), 80, 90, 10 (Billing Office only), CHN (HR staff who meet with the public - new hires). Employees working in clinical areas are encouraged to complete the online form in advance to expedite in-person screening.
Employees who will not work in clinical areas do not need to be screened in person. They may complete the ZSFG online screening form and proceed directly to their work location. If you complete the online screening you will receive an email verifying you have done so. Please keep this notification available while you are on campus so that your compliance with screening requirements can be verified.
As of June 16, the screening entrances at ZSFG are designated as follows:
- Building 25 Lobby: screening for staff and providers (all employees)
- Building 5 South Lobby: screening for patients, visitors, and vendors only
- Building 80/90: screening for employees, patients, and visitors entering Building 80/90
The Outpatient Lobby of Building 5 (North Lobby) is no longer a screening entrance and is currently closed to all entry.
If you screen positive, contact ZSFG Occupational Health Services at 628-206-4100 or email [email protected] to schedule an appointment for testing.
Employees who have completed in-person screening at the Building 25 Lobby or Building 80/90 will be given a sticker to apply to their ZSFG badge with the date. The sticker is a visual management cue to ensure the daily practice of screening is being adhered to in clinical areas.
Those who use the ZSFG online screening form before coming to work in non-clinical areas will be notified that they have completed their screening, and managers can request that individuals in their groups forward the "Cleared for Work" email messages as a means of tracking these employees. Addditional developments regarding reporting processes will be provided on this page as they become available.
Per ZSFG Visitation Guidelines, these individuals will need to go through screening and obtain a mask at the Building 5 South Lobby before accessing other areas at ZSFG. Everyone working in any building on campus is required to be screened and wear a mask while on site.
Even if they have tested negative for COVID-19, employees who have symptoms of upper respiratory illness should not come to work. If an employee working at ZSFG has a positive COVID-19 test result, clearance for return to work must be obtained from ZSFG Occupational Health. Details of return to work requirements are provided in the ZSFG Return to Work Guidance. Note that return to work guidance for those with a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis varies depending on the severity of illness and on the individual’s immune status. UCSF employees must also comply with UCSF Continue To Work - Return To Work Guidelines For Staff. Call the UCSF COVID Hotline (415-514-7328) for testing and evaluation and refer to the guidelines for additional requirements.
According to ZSFG policy for Acceptable Face Coverings and Universal Masking Guidance, staff and providers are required to wear masks all day when at work. Isolation masks are the only approved masks to be worn in clinical areas where patients or the public are served. Clinical areas include: Buildings 25, 5, 9, 4, 100 (Outpatient Dialysis only), 80, 90, 10 (Billing Office only), CHN (HR staff who meet with the public - new hires).
Staff can choose to wear cloth masks in non-clinical areas. Non-hospital use respirators should not be worn at ZSFG as a part of universal masking. N95 masks with a valve are not allowed as a face covering at ZSFG.
After online or in-person screening, DPH will provide staff at ZSFG with one isolation mask per day, if needed. These masks can be obtained at the designated in-person screening entrances (Building 5 Outpatient Lobby or Building 80/90).
Per UCSF policy for Face Covering on Campus and Health Facilities, a single cloth face covering (one per person) can be obtained from UCSF Health and campus health screening stations. UCSF employees can also obtain face coverings through the SCM COVID STORE link on the BearBuy home page.
During the research shutdown period, additional hand sanitizer dispensers were placed near entrances to labs and in other key locations. Requests for additional dispensers should be directed to John Ewers, Facilities Manager with the ZSFG Vice Dean’s Office: 628-206-5140.
ZSFG badges do not have time restrictions and should be active around the clock.
The Sheriff’s Patrol Unit of the City and County of San Francisco is responsible for general law enforcement services at ZSFG and supports security 24 hours a day. In compliance with COVID-19 Health Orders, DPH has designated specific entrances for staff and patient access to Buildings 5 and 25. Entrances to other campus buildings, including those housing UCSF research groups, are currently kept locked and closed to the public. Security at ZSFG is consistently monitored and specific areas of concern should be brought to the ZSFG Vice Dean’s office so they can be addressed. In a situation where a crime is being committed or you feel unsafe, dial the emergency number for the Sheriff’s Department at 628-206-4911 or call 911.
The clinical and non-clinical spaces at ZSFG are maintained by separate teams of custodians. Custodians working for UCSF clean the research labs and associated administrative spaces in Buildings 1, 9, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 100, and on floors 1, 5 and 6 of Building 3. Other spaces on campus are cleaned by the ZSFG EVS team, who do not clean UCSF’s research-related spaces at ZSFG.
In the spaces cleaned by custodians working for UCSF (listed above), the ZSFG Vice Dean’s office has a dedicated custodian assigned to cleaning high-touch areas daily including door handles, railings, toilet handles, elevator buttons, and other surfaces. You can place a request to sanitize additional surfaces like a desk, file cabinet top, or table by clearing the surface of all items and putting a sticky note on it that says “Clean Me Please”. Custodians will not move your personal or work items while cleaning.
Per the Guidance for Onsite Laboratory Research Activities and the Guidance for Onsite Clinical Research Activities, all research groups should use 70% ethanol or 1:10 dilute bleach to disinfect bench surfaces, door knobs, other high-touch surfaces and shared equipment surfaces, frequently during the day and at the beginning and end of each shift. The UCSF Campus Protocol for Working Onsite provides guidance for cleaning shared work or study areas, kitchens, break rooms, and meeting rooms.
In the spaces cleaned by custodians working for UCSF (listed above), staff use disposable wipes and disinfectant to prevent spread of contamination.
Questions about custodial services for non-clinical spaces at ZSFG should be directed to John Ewers, Facilities Manager with the ZSFG Vice Dean's Office: 628-206-5140.
Laboratory and office spaces at ZSFG are supplied with 100 percent outside air through supply air ducts and operable windows. No spaces use recirculated air. It is still essential to adhere to social distancing guidelines because this airflow does not provide complete protection. For additional questions about your specific space please contact John Ewers, Facilities Manager with the ZSFG Vice Dean's Office: 628-206-5140.
Campus Life Services and Facilities Services have installed COVID-19 building signage at some campus sites but are unable to provide this service at our City-owned location. However, departments or groups may download materials or place a request for printed signage and floor markings through the Building Signage for COVID-19 page at the Campus Life Services website. If needed, you may place a request for installation with John Ewers, Facilities Manager with the ZSFG Vice Dean's Office: 628-206-5140.
Per the Guidance for Onsite Laboratory Research Activities and the Guidance for Onsite Clinical Research Activities, when physical distancing is not possible (lab or office spaces with corridors less than 6 feet wide), seek an alternate route whenever possible. The guidance acknowledges that some complex experiments, as well as the training of new lab members, require teamwork between at least two lab members. These interactions are allowed when necessary, but should be minimized whenever possible. Physical distancing of 6 feet must be employed whenever possible.
Before restarting in-person research at ZSFG please first discuss and get approval from leadership of clinical units (both the Medical Director and the Nurse Manager). This will help to ensure that the research will not interfere with essential clinical activities, workflows, and/or physical space density limits.
On June 26th, the Office of Research issued updated guidance for clinical research, including a Return to Work Checklist with useful information and links for general considerations and research participants.
Per the Guidance for Onsite Clinical Research Activities, clinical research that involves procedures that induce cough, sneezing or otherwise increase risk of aerosolization must be conducted with approved and proper infection control procedures, and these research participants must undergo COVID-19 RT-PCR testing prior to the research visit. Research subjects at ZSFG may be able to access testing from their primary care provider, or through other resources including city-run testing sites for those who work or live in the City and County of San Francisco. Any costs associated with testing may need to be supported by the research study.
Research participants are subject to DPH guidelines for visitors at ZSFG, which include information about positive screening results. These individuals may also be directed to the COVID-19 page on the DPH Disease Prevention and Control website for additional guidance.
PPE requirements in clinical areas at ZSFG depend on the exact circumstances involved, including whether researchers are seeing patients face-to-face. In general, researchers in clinical areas who are not in direct contact with patients will wear an isolation mask.
When interviewing asymptomatic subjects, the interviewer and the research subject must both wear isolation masks.
Per the Campus Approval Process detailed in the Protocol for Working Onsite information provided as part of UCSF’s Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resources, “Campus administrative department heads (control points) may approve requests for teams of fewer than 10 people, or an increase to a group that is already operating onsite. But approval from the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is necessary before returning teams of 10 or more people.” Refer to the full protocol for details, and contact your department to determine whether they require notification before allowing their labs to return to the ZSFG campus.
Departmental Safety Advisors (DSAs) with the Office of Environment, Health and Safety (EH&S) are performing periodic inspections of UCSF laboratory research spaces at ZSFG to assess compliance in areas like physical distancing, use of face coverings, proper use of PPE, maintaining safe behaviors, completion of daily health screening, and completion of COVID-19 and Working Onsite at UCSF training.
Per the ZSFG Visitation Guidelines, these individuals will need to go through screening and obtain a mask at the Building 5 South Lobby before accessing any areas on site at ZSFG. Everyone working in any building on campus is required to be screened and wear a mask while on campus.
