Dear Colleagues,

The process for reopening MBL’s on-campus administrative functions is now in its final stages, coming on the heels of a research reopening that has been running smoothly over the last six weeks. The MBL administrative plan has been reviewed by the University of Chicago and will now go to Director Nipam Patel for his final approval which is expected early next week. August 5 would be the earliest date the administration plan would go into effect.

The health and safety of our community remains our highest priority and limiting the density of and contact among people within our facilities is one of the most effective ways of protecting our community and slowing the spread of COVID-19. With that in mind, a guiding principle of the administrative plan is that all work that can be done remotely should continue to be done remotely.

Once approved, the administrative plan will be available for review on the MBL Intranet. In addition, a virtual Town Hall will be held next Tuesday, August 4. All faculty and staff are invited to attend the Town Hall which will cover the plan’s key policies and procedures as well as provide a general update on the status of MBL reopening. A Q&A session will follow presentations. An invitation will follow by e-mail tomorrow, Friday, July 31st.

I commend our research and other essential staff who have enabled MBL’s reopening to date to progress smoothly. Through our continued diligence, we can move to this next stage of reopening administration in a safe and systematic way.

Paul Speer
Chief Operating Officer