COVID-19 – Operations of Animal Facilities

In line with Federal and State Government imposed restrictions, Prof Margaret Gardner recently announced a reduction in on-campus activities. This has resulted in limited access to a number of areas, including the BDI, ARL and MARP. We are committed to support researchers through this time of uncertainty, whilst complying with the new restrictions.

Of the 4 research areas that need to continue as outlined in the VC’s announcement, "management and care of critical living resources, and the equipment and materials they depend upon” and "long term experiments/studies that otherwise would be prohibitive to restart" are most relevant to this communication.

A key issue is ensuring that there is strict compliance with COVID19 restrictions, in particular 1.5 meters physical distancing, no more than 1 person every 4sqm.  This is only possible if overlap between Animal Facilities staff and researchers is minimised. The overarching priority is to ensure the safety of staff and users, and that the operations of the Animal Facilities are not compromised so that animal breeding, maintenance and critical animal laboratory services are not affected, as these are all essential for research continuity.

In light of the current State and Federal restrictions and to ensure that essential animal operations can continue, new operating procedures need to be implemented, starting Wednesday, 8th of April.

The new operating procedures are as follows:

1. Entry into Animal Facilities should be for essential research activities only; these are as defined above and require approval by the Head of School/Institute or delegate. 
2. Researchers must limit the times and number of people accessing the Animal Facilities, and in particular ARL. Group leaders should nominate specific personnel or develop a lab roster, in particular for ARL entry. This will ensure compliance with the physical distancing requirements.
3. To ensure animal care services can be performed in compliance with current restrictions, the ARL facilities will be accessible to researchers between the hours of 12.30 and 19.00. Please note that if access is required either before or after these times, a request with full justification should be made to the Rodent Users Committee via Professor Stephen Turner. All requests will be addressed as a matter of priority so as not to cause delays.
4. To enter the ARL facility and use the procedures rooms and/or QC2, researchers must book the space in iLAB.
5. All researchers must wear a clean gown, hair net, surgical mask and gloves. These must be put on in the change areas. Disinfectant will be provided in these areas and must be used appropriately on entry and exit of the Facilities.
6. All researchers and technicians MUST maintain the minimum 1.5m physical distancing requirements at all times. 
7. Neither researchers nor technicians should be working side by side in a hood at any one time.
8. All work surfaces MUST be disinfected using 70 % ethanol after each use, prior to leaving the facility and routinely throughout the day.

This plan has been implemented to ensure that the operations of the Animal Facilities can continue, in full compliance with the current Federal and State regulations, thereby prioritising the health and safety of staff and researchers, and minimising risks to research operations.

We will be re-evaluating the current measures as the situation evolves, but this initiative is a key step in continuing the operations in the Animal Facilities and the valuable resources they support.

Please feel free to contact Prof Stephen Turner, Prof Mariapia Degli-Esposti or Prof Mike Ryan if you have any concerns or questions.