COVID-19 Resources & Guidance

Guidance for the Research Community​
Page last updated 3/8/22

Reopening Research & Libraries

Please send questions to reopening@research.umass.edu.

Further Guidance and Resources

Topic Guidance
Personnel
  • Effective Wednesday, March 9, at 7 a.m., the campus will lift its indoor mask requirement.
  • In keeping with government guidance, individuals will be welcome to wear masks at their own discretion but will only be required to wear masks aboard public transportation (including PVTA buses) and in healthcare facilities (including University Health Services, Public Health Promotion Center, and Center for Counseling and Psychological Health). Masks will also be required in the Center for Early Education and Child Care.
  • The change in masking applies to face-to-face research with human subjects unless required by the research or the facility, e.g., a health care facility.
  • Learn more here.
Research Spaces, Cleaning & Safety
Centralized Core Facilities
IRB (Research with Human Subjects)
  • Research involving human subjects can resume in accordance with the campus update on March 8, 2022. The change in masking applies to face-to-face research with human subjects unless required by the research or the facility, e.g., a health care facility.

  • Vaccination information can be added to IRB protocols, if necessary, with HRPO/IRB approval. It is recommended that human subjects researchers include information on COVID-19 testing and vaccination availability on campus in their recruitment materials. EH&S can provide guidance to researchers working with specific human populations who may not be fully vaccinated; the IRB may recommend an ancillary review by EH&S for specific protocols when circumstances warrant, if such input hasn’t already been secured.

  • Please continue to use the Human Subject Participant Health & Safety Screening for research involving human subjects.

  • For questions regarding IRB protocols, email humansubjects@ora.umass.edu; for questions regarding human subject research and covid-19, please email reopening@research.umass.edu.
Travel Guidance
  • 2/23/22: Beginning March 1, 2022, the university will no longer require travelers to follow the COVID Travel Exemption Process. Travelers should still carefully follow the instructions here.

Sponsored Projects: Federal Agency Guidance

Guidance about UMass Amherst research activities are updated when new information becomes available. See the UMass Amherst Response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) for the status of all UMass Amherst operations.

Please send questions to reopening@research.umass.edu.