COVID-19 Guidelines for 2022
Spring and Summer Quarter 2022 COVID Guidelines
User Responsibilities
Do not come to the facility if you are feeling sick, have any COVID symptoms or have been told to self-quarantine or isolate.
In line with University guidelines of March 2022, masks are optional. However, with the elevation of the Chicago area to “high” risk and the University’s advice to wear a mask indoors as of May 2022, mask use in the Core is strongly encouraged, particularly if you will be in close proximity to others during your session (e.g. during training). Core staff will continue to wear masks at all times.
Maintain a 6 foot or greater distance from others when possible.
Disinfectant spray (70% isopropyl alcohol) and Kimwipes are provided in each room if users choose to disinfect their workspace before and / or after their session. Logging is no longer required.
It is still a good idea to wash your hands BEFORE and AFTER working in the facility. There is a sink in the prep / slide scanner area of KCBD and in the far corner behind the 2-photon in Abbott 129.
No eating or drinking anywhere in the suite.
Image processing that can be done remotely may still be done remotely for the same cost as in-facility use. See our Remote Resources page for more information.
Temporary Changes to Facility Practices
Due to the length of time needed for adequate training on most systems, we will still not be doing long in-person training sessions during Phase 3. Video training is available for an increasing number of systems. Contact a Technical Director for access to video training and to set up a short in-person certification and troubleshooting session.
To facilitate contact tracing, ID card swipe will be required to enter KCBD 1250 and Abbott 129 at all times.
The facility is available 24/7 to trained users, provided that building and suite access have been added to a user’s ID.
After-hours contact information for all Technical Directors is posted on the office doors in each facility for users who need assistance outside of our in-office hours.
Technical Directors will continue to disinfect common touch surfaces (door handles, light switches, etc) but will no longer log these activities.
Things That Are Not Changing
Scheduler policies will remain as before the shutdown: 5 hours/day 9to5, 15 hours/week 9to5, >24 hour cancellation.
If you are the last person on the schedule for the day it is your responsibility to make sure the microscope gets shut down. Contact a Technical Director and / or the person scheduled ahead of you to be sure nothing is left running for you.
2022 COVID Guidelines
For early 2022, we are not making any changes to our COVID guidelines compared to Autumn Quarter 2021
User Responsibilities
Do not come to the facility if you are feeling sick, have any COVID symptoms or have been told to self-quarantine or isolate.
In line with University guidelines of 8/2/2021, all users regardless of vaccination status must wear a face mask AT ALL TIMES, even if they are alone in the facility.
Maintain a 6 foot or greater distance from others when possible.
Disinfectant spray (70% isopropyl alcohol) and Kimwipes are provided in each room if users choose to disinfect their workspace before and / or after their session. Logging is no longer required.
It is still a good idea to wash your hands BEFORE and AFTER working in the facility. There is a sink in the prep / slide scanner area of KCBD and in the far corner behind the 2-photon in Abbott 129.
No eating or drinking anywhere in the suite.
Image processing that can be done remotely may still be done remotely. See our Remote Resources page for more information.
Temporary Changes to Facility Practices
Due to the length of time needed for adequate training on most systems, we will still not be doing long in-person training sessions during Phase 3. Video training is available for an increasing number of systems. Contact a Technical Director for access to video training and to set up a short in-person certification and troubleshooting session.
To facilitate contact tracing, ID card swipe will be required to enter KCBD 1250 and Abbott 129 at all times.
The facility is available 24/7 to trained users, provided that building and suite access have been added to a user’s ID.
After-hours contact information for all Technical Directors is posted on the office doors in each facility for users who need assistance outside of our in-office hours.
Technical Directors will continue to disinfect common touch surfaces (door handles, light switches, etc) but will no longer log these activities.
Things That Are Not Changing
Scheduler policies will remain as before the shutdown: 5 hours/day 9to5, 15 hours/week 9to5, 1 hour no-show and >24 hour cancellation.
We will still allow everyone one less-than-24 hour cancellation each month with no charges and no questions asked. Use this for any reason.
If you are the last person on the schedule for the day it is your responsibility to make sure the microscope gets shut down. Contact a Technical Director and / or the person scheduled ahead of you to be sure nothing is left running for you.
8/7/2020 – Phase 3 Guidelines
Not much is changing in the Core from Phase 2 to Phase 3. We haven’t gained additional space, so room capacity remains the same to maintain distancing requirements. In-person training is still too long to fit within safe contact guidelines so we are still using video based training with a short certification and troubleshooting session after the videos are viewed.
User Responsibilities
Do not come to the facility if you are feeling sick, have any COVID symptoms or have been told to self-quarantine or isolate.
Wear your cloth face mask AT ALL TIMES, even if you are alone in the facility.
ONE person per microscope per session. Room capacity is limited, so if you must bring another person please contact a Technical Director in advance so we can create space for that person by reserving another system.
Maintain a 6 foot or greater distance from others whenever possible.
Each person is responsible for leaving enough time to properly disinfect their work area at the end of their session. Use the disinfectant spray (70% isopropyl alcohol) and Kimwipes provided in each room.
Log the disinfection time and your initials on the sheet provided by each microscope or workstation. Core staff will give you a physically distanced disinfecting demo during your first session back or you can watch our disinfection video.
Wash your hands BEFORE and AFTER working in the facility. There is a sink in the prep / slide scanner area of KCBD and in the far corner behind the 2-photon in Abbott 129.
No eating or drinking anywhere in the suite.
Work that can be done remotely (image processing, protocol consultation) should continue to be done remotely. See our Remote Resources page for more information.
Temporary Changes to Facility Practices
Due to the length of time needed for adequate training on most systems, we will still not be doing in-person training sessions during Phase 3. Video training is available for an increasing number of systems. Contact a Technical Director for access to video training and to set up a short in-person certification and troubleshooting session.
The University is considering allowing researchers from Chicago BioMedical Consortium institutions (UIC and Northwestern) into the Cores during Phase 3. Once we receive confirmation and requirements we will post that here. Please contact a Technical Director to discuss how we can support your research remotely.
To facilitate contact tracing, ID card swipe will be required to enter KCBD 1250 and Abbott 129 at all times.
The facility is available 24/7 to trained users, provided that building and suite access have been restored via approval of the user’s lab’s Research Resumption Plan (RRP) by the Dean.
After-hours contact information for all Technical Directors is posted on the office doors in each facility for users who need assistance outside of our in-office hours.
Technical Directors will be cleaning and disinfecting common touch surfaces (door handles, light switches, etc) throughout the day and logging.
Things That Are Not Changing
Scheduler policies will remain as before the shutdown: 5 hours/day 9to5, 15 hours/week 9to5, 1 hour no-show and >12 hour cancellation.
We will still allow everyone one less-than-12 hour cancellation each month with no charges and no questions asked. Use this for any reason.
If you are the last person on the schedule for the day it is your responsibility to make sure the microscope gets shut down. Contact a Technical Director and / or the person scheduled ahead of you to be sure nothing is left running for you.
6/15/2020 – Phase 2 Reopening Guidelines
User Responsibilities
Do not come to the facility if you are feeling sick, have any COVID symptoms or have been told to self-quarantine or isolate.
Wear your cloth face mask at all times.
Maintain a 6 foot or greater distance from others whenever possible. One person per microscope per session. Do not bring extra people with you.
Each person is responsible for leaving enough time to properly disinfect their work area at the end of their session. Use the disinfectant spray (70% isopropyl alcohol) and Kimwipes provided in each room.
Log the disinfection time and your initials on the sheet provided by each microscope or workstation. Core staff will give you a physically distanced disinfecting demo during your first session back or you can watch our disinfection video.
Wash your hands BEFORE and AFTER working in the facility. There is a sink in the prep / slide scanner area of KCBD and in the far corner behind the 2-photon in Abbott 129.
No eating or drinking anywhere in the suite.
Work that can be done remotely (image processing, protocol consultation) should continue to be done remotely. See our Remote Resources page for more information.
Temporary Changes to Facility Practices
We will not be doing in-person training sessions during Phase 2. We are working on video training.
Non-UChicago researchers are not allowed in the facility during Phase 2. Please contact a Technical Director to discuss how we can support your research remotely.
To facilitate contact tracing, ID card swipe will be required to enter KCBD 1250 and Abbott 129 at all times.
The facility is available 24/7 to trained users, provided that building and suite access have been restored via approval of the user’s lab’s Research Resumption Plan (RRP) by the Dean.
After-hours contact information for all Technical Directors is posted on the office doors in each facility for users who need assistance outside of our in-office hours.
Technical Directors will be cleaning and disinfecting common touch surfaces (door handles, light switches, etc) throughout the day and logging.
Things That Are Not Changing
Scheduler policies will remain as before the shutdown: 5 hours/day 9to5, 15 hours/week 9to5, 1 hour no-show and >12 hour cancellation.
We will still allow everyone one less-than-12 hour cancellation each month with no charges and no questions asked. Use this for any reason.
If you are the last person on the schedule for the day it is your responsibility to make sure the microscope gets shut down. Contact a Technical Director and / or the person scheduled ahead of you to be sure nothing is left running for you.
6/15/2020 – Phase 2 Whole Slide Scanning
We are accepting slides for whole slide scanning following our pre-shutdown drop-off procedure.
If you are still able to enter KCBD you may drop off slides for scanning. If you cannot enter KCBD and / or the Core but are are conducting COVID19-related or other essential research, contact Shirley Bond to arrange a contact-less drop-off.
4/10/2020 – Resources for Remote Work
Christine has started a page with resources for remote work. We have instructions for remote access to Core workstations as well as links to online classes, meetings and webinars related to imaging, image processing and general programming.
4/1/2020 – Whole Slide Scanning Service During Shelter in Place
We have had a few people ask about whole slide scanning during the shelter-in-place order. We are still accepting slides for scanning, HOWEVER, with staff trying to limit their time in the facility we DO NOT KNOW WHEN the scans will be started or completed.
Also, as of this week the University has restricted access to BSD research buildings. Only personnel deemed essential may enter. If you are still able to enter KCBD you may drop off slides for scanning.
Our ability to offer this service and other in-person services will change as the situation changes, we are doing our best to keep research going while keeping to the personnel safety guidelines established by the State and the University.
If you are conducting COVID-19 related or other essential research and need slides scanned, contact Vytas Bindokas or Shirley Bond for assistance.
3/19/2020 – Changes to Operating Procedures
In order to allow research to continue while maintaining social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Core has made some changes to its operating procedures:
We will not be conducting in-person training or facility tours until further notice.
Trained users are still able to access the facility to image and should follow the guidelines below.
Core staff are trying to limit their time in the facility but are available for consultation by email, phone and video.
Some image processing resources are available for remote work. Contact a Technical Director for more information.
If You Come to Image in the Core
Trained users are welcome to use core equipment at this time. Please observe the following guidelines while using the core:
If you have a fever, respiratory symptoms including cough or are otherwise feeling sick, please DO NOT COME TO THE CORE.
With limited core staff in the facility, we ask that you observe after hours rules for shutting down systems. If there is someone scheduled after you but they are not present when you are done, SHUT DOWN THE SYSTEM and log the time on the paper log.
Maintain social distance – try to keep at least 6 feet from others at all times.
Disinfect keyboards, computer mice, workstations and microscopes before and after working. Wipes and 70% ethanol are available in the facilities.
Wash your hands frequently, especially before and after working on a microscope or workstation. Sinks and soap are available in both facilities.