Details

To:                   Pitt Public Health Faculty and  Staff

From:              Office of the Dean

Re:                   March 12 Pitt Public Health COVID-19 updates                

As we all work together to adapt to the current situation, we will continue to provide you with updates. Below is arn. Please remember that both the University and the school have set up COVID-19 websites to provide much of the necessary information in one place.

Classes and Events

• All university classes, regardless of size, have been canceled for the week of March 16 and will resume via remote learning alternatives on March 23^rd. This means that there will be no face to face classes for the remainder of the semester. 
• All other events of size greater than 25 have been canceled, but please use common sense in implementing this directive. If an event is less than 25 people, please consider the necessity of the event and the size of the room in making your decisions about how or whether to hold it. Please also provide remote participation options for individuals who prefer that.
• Many people have questions about how specific classes, events, and meetings will be handled. We urge you to use the weekend and first part of next week to make decisions in a thoughtful and deliberate manner, and then communicate as needed.

Remote Work

• The Graduate School of Public Health is not requiring individuals to work remotely at this time. We are awaiting further central university guidance, which may come soon. In the meantime, individuals who prefer to work remotely should work with their supervisors and department administrators to make arrangements. Your request will be accommodated to the greatest extent possible.
• Individuals who are ill should stay home and use sick time.  The University has provided additional paid sick time for all staff.  Please communicate with your department administrator for additional details.

Campus Facilities and Work on Campus

• The campus is not closed at this time. While we want to provide remote participation options for as many people and events as possible, individuals who choose to come in (faculty, staff, graduate students, undergraduate students) are welcome to use university facilities, including offices, computer labs, library, etc.
• At this time, research that takes place in the building (wet lab, high-throughput computing) should generally continue as always. The continuation of research involving human contact either in the building or in the community should be discussed with your department administrator and chair.

Again, we thank you for your patience and collaboration during this difficult time. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to ask them, and we will get answers as quickly as possible.