New policies at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, related to COVID-19 involve canceling events and in-person instruction, suspending all work-related travel, and shifting to telework.

These changes, effective March 12, 2020, are the second step of UMB's response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and are put in place as University leaders and subject matter experts continue to examine ways to maintain the health and safety of the UMB community. Interim President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS; Mohan Suntha, MD, MBA, president and chief executive officer, University of Maryland Medical System; and  E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, dean of the University of Maryland School of Medicine, executive vice president for medical affairs, UMB, outlined the changes in a letter to the community. "We know it's difficult to keep up with frequent communications about new guidelines and policies, but our commitment to your safety requires us to adapt quickly to new information, and to make you aware of changes as soon as we can. We appreciate your continued patience and cooperation," the leaders wrote. The full letter is below:

 

March 12, 2020      Dear Colleagues: As you know, we have been tracking the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) very closely and are continuing to intensify efforts and update policies, in an effort to prevent further spread of the virus and maintain the safety of our staff, students, faculty, and patients. In our update on March 10, 2020, we issued several policy changes related to gatherings, telework, travel, and education, and explained that these changes would be implemented in phases, based on developments related to COVID-19. Today, we are implementing the second phase, or "Step 2" of these policies, which will involve canceling events and in-person instruction, suspending all work-related travel, and shifting to telework, where applicable. Some highlights of the new guidelines for all UMMS and UMB employees and students include:   Work-related, out-of-state travel is prohibited, with very limited exceptions. Personal travel outside of Maryland is strongly discouraged.* In-person meetings are prohibited, and all such meetings should be moved to virtual means or canceled, unless approved by a Dean, Vice President or UMMS Executive. All in-person didactic instruction is canceled as of this weekend, and replaced with an alternative means of delivery. All UMB/UMMS-hosted events will be canceled through April 5, pending re-evaluation. Events hosted by a non-UMB/UMMS organization at our facilities will also be canceled through April 5 and until further notice. Student recruiting and admissions in-person events are prohibited until further notice. UMMS and UMB will transition to episodic telework on Saturday, March 14, where applicable. You can review full details of the policy here.      UMMS and UMB leadership will follow-up with additional details regarding the implementation of these plans and what they mean for you, by location. We know it's difficult to keep up with frequent communications about new guidelines and policies, but our commitment to your safety requires us to adapt quickly to new information, and to make you aware of changes as soon as we can. We appreciate your continued patience and cooperation. *Please note: We may restrict access, including the possibility of requiring a 14-day self-quarantine, to UMB or UMMS facilities for anyone who travels against this advice beginning today, March 12, 2020. Sincerely,   Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS Interim President   Mohan Suntha, MD, MBA President and Chief Executive Officer University of Maryland Medical System   E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA   Dean, University of Maryland School of Medicine Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs, UMB President, Faculty Physicians, Inc. This note was authorized for distribution to the University of Maryland, Baltimore community by Administration and Finance.