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This message has been distributed to all UT employees with Principal Investigator (PI) status, as well as all UT graduate students and postdocs.
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Dear PI Colleagues, Graduate Students, and Postdocs,
As you’ve likely heard, Governor Abbott issued an executive order yesterday that affects masking policies for counties, cities, school districts, public health authorities, and government offices — and this includes UT as well. Per President Hartzell’s email, effective immediately, UT’s masking guidance is that:
- Masks are optional inside university buildings and outdoors.
- For individuals who are not fully vaccinated or who have weakened immune systems, masking and social distancing are optional but recommended.
I know this change may feel unexpected, but I want to echo President Hartzell’s optimism. COVID-19 rates in Austin are very low and steadily dropping, and on-campus cases are at all-time lows since last summer. While we can’t (and won’t) let our guard down, it feels safe to say that we are moving into a new phase of this pandemic thanks to steady vaccine availability and promising COVID-19 treatments. I also want to reassure you that if you feel more comfortable wearing a mask, please do so. As the president said, we will continue to respect each other.
These new masking guidelines directly affect our research community, so please note the following:- While personal masking is no longer required, researchers must still wear appropriate personal protective equipment if called for in laboratory standard operating procedures, particularly for work involving biohazards, chemical hazards, or animals.
- Unless the study protocol requires it, masking is no longer mandatory for human subjects research — either for the research team or participants, regardless of age or vaccination status. You may recommend masking and offer masks to your participants, but they are not required to wear them.
- Because masking is not required to work in UT research spaces, masks can no longer be charged to federal grant accounts unless the research protocol itself still requires masks. However, masks will still be available for purchase in the STEM stockroom. If you wish to purchase these masks but do not have an account to cover the cost, please let the stockroom staff know.
- Please remember that while it is still recommended that people who haven’t been fully vaccinated continue to wear masks, you cannot ask co-workers, students, or employees if they have been vaccinated.
- And a reminder that as of Tuesday, June 1st, undergraduate researchers will no longer be required to submit to proactive community testing (PCT) every two weeks as a condition of working in PIs’ research spaces.
- And on Monday, July 5th, we will step down to Research Level 0. Full-capacity, on-campus research will be permitted without restrictions.
Again, I earnestly ask each of you to get vaccinated as quickly as possible if you haven’t done so already. Anyone 12 and older is eligible, and the research — which UT is so proud to have contributed to — tells us that being vaccinated is the best way to protect ourselves and each other.
Sincerely,
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Alison R. Preston, Ph.D.
Interim Vice President for Research
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