Dear Colleagues,
As our state, nation, and world take action to slow the spread of the Coronavirus, I would like to reiterate that the MBL strongly cautions against any non-essential personal travel—international or domestic—during this time.
As you know, the laboratory has suspended all non-essential work-related international and domestic air travel effective through April 15. CDC Level 3 travel restrictions continue to expand, most recently with the addition of the United Kingdom and Ireland to the list of countries that are subject to restricted entry into the U.S.
Domestic travel bans, while not yet enacted, are not out of the question per the U.S. government. What is clear and what we have all seen in the last week is that public health measures are changing daily. If these measures cause delays in returning from locations affected by COVID-19, the MBL will be unable to help travelers return in a timely way.
If you must travel on personal business, the MBL requests you complete this simple form with information about your trip. This will help us work with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to limit exposure in the event of a positive test case.
With the move to reduced campus operations beginning today, we will continue to work with managers and PIs throughout the week to substantially reduce on-campus staffing, minimize our overall footprint, and protect the health of our community. With this in mind, as of today, MBL buildings are closed to the public and accessible only by MBL Card access. In addition, Swope Dining is open to staff only and is limited to take-out service.
For questions or concerns, please contact your supervisor or Human Resources Department team members at hr@mbl.edu. Detailed HR-related information including sick time policies can be found on HR’s Coronavirus Resources intranet page. HR will communicate any federally regulated changes to sick time as we receive them.
I encourage you to stay informed and continue to support each other as we work through this crisis together.
Paul Speer PhD
Chief Operating Officer
Marine Biological Laboratory