Teaching and Research Biosafety Practices During COVID-19 Outbreak

Date: March 5, 2020

To: Faculty

From: Vincent J. Del Casino, Jr., Provost and Senior VP for Academic Affairs and Mohamed Abousalem, Vice President for Research and Innovation

Dear Faculty,

Earlier today, a message providing updates to SJSU’s response to the continued Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak was sent to the campus community. This message is meant to provide supplemental information that aligns with Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Due to the fact that Santa Clara County has had community-acquired (i.e. non-travel related) cases of COVID-19, we are evaluating teaching practices and research needs. 

Effective immediately, additional precautions need to be taken, including the possibility of temporarily suspending practices in your teaching or current research activities that deal with the use of human fluids such as saliva or urine. Those who need to continue these types of activities should follow the CDC guidelines, which include the use of Biosafety Level-2 containment.

Please share this message with staff associated with these teaching and research activities.

For further information, please contact AVP Research, Pam Stacks at pamela.stacks@sjsu.edu or 408-924-2488.

Sincerely,

Vincent J. Del Casino, Jr.
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs

Mohamed Abousalem
Vice President for Research and Innovation