(WWJ) Governor Gretchen Whitmer has signed an Executive Order to allow laboratory research to start up again in Michigan, another small step toward reopening the economy.
Like many of us; when research scientists return to work, it will probably not look like it did before COVID-19 for the time being.
Executive Order 2020-90 requires laboratories to implement a long list of safety precautions to slow the spread of COVID-19 including: daily health screenings, social distancing, closing spaces where people are likely to congregate, training workers on the proper use of PPE, etc.
The most recent version of the Stay-at-Home Order has permitted certain industries to go back to work such as landscaping, manufacturing, real estate, and construction.
Employees of 'The Detroit Big 3'—General Motors, Fiat Chrysler, and Ford—are slated to return to work in phases on Monday.
“This partial and incremental reopening will allow my public health team to evaluate the effects of allowing these activities to resume, assess the capacity of the health care system to respond adequately to any increases in infections, and prepare for any increase in patients,” Governor Whitmer said in the press release.
The press release stated research laboratories must take the following precautions when returning to work:
“-Assigning dedicated entry point(s) and/or times into lab buildings
-Conducting a daily entry screening protocol for workers, contractors, suppliers, and any other individuals entering a worksite, including a questionnaire covering symptoms and suspected or confirmed exposure to people with possible COVID-19 infections, together with, if possible, a temperature screening
-Creating protocols and/or checklists to conform to the facility’s COVID-19 preparedness and response plan and training workers to adhere to the plan
-Suspending all non-essential in-person visitors, including visiting scholars and undergraduate students, until further notice
-Training workers on the proper use of lab protection and personal protective equipment
-Establishing and implementing a plan for distributing face coverings
-Creating capacity limits for labs
-Closing open workspaces, cafeterias and conference rooms
-Including tape on the floor to mark workspaces for 6-foot distances in labs and create one-way traffic flow where possible
-Requiring all office and dry lab work to be conducted remotely
-Minimizing the use of shared lab equipment and shared lab tools and creating protocols for --disinfecting lab equipment and lab tools
-Providing disinfecting wipes and requiring workers to wipe down their workstations at least twice daily
-Implementing an audit and compliance procedure to ensure cleaning criteria are followed
-Establishing a clear reporting process for any symptomatic individual or any individual with a confirmed case of COVID-19, including the notification of lab leaders and the maintenance of a central log
-Cleaning and disinfecting the work site when a worker is sent home with symptoms or with a confirmed case of COVID-19
-Sending any potentially exposed coworkers’ home if there is a positive case in the facility”