Syracuse University is temporarily stopping all non-essential research and in-person data collection due to the coronavirus pandemic, university officials said Sunday. 

The guidance to SU researchers is in response to New York state’s order for all non-essential workers to stay home to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, said Interim Provost John Liu and Interim Vice President for Research Ramesh Raina in an SU News release.

The novel coronavirus causes COVID-19, a respiratory disease that has infected more than 330,000 people and killed over 14,000 globally. New York state has confirmed over 15,000 cases of the virus, and 114 people have died.

Non-essential research activities involving face-to-face interaction must be paused indefinitely, the officials said. Research that can occur remotely should continue away from campus, they said. 

Essential research activities are those that are related to the COVID-19 health crisis, are government-mandated or require long-term maintenance of high value materials, Liu and Raina said. The university will maintain minimal access to laboratories to allow essential research to continue, they said. 

The changes disrupt normal research activities and the university’s research mission, but are necessary, the officials said. 

“It is essential to be in compliance with federal and state laws, regulations and executive orders as well as necessary to protect the health and wellbeing of researchers and our community in general,” Liu and Raina said in the release.

SU also ordered essential research conducted in campus-based facilities to be paused or reduced in scale. No more than two people may occupy a lab at one time, and those who remain in the lab must be conducting essential research, Liu and Raina said. 

Liu and Raina said they recognize the negative effect halting research could have on research personnel.

“Please be assured we will work closely with leadership across the schools and colleges to minimize negative impacts and to maximize your ability to return to fully functional research programs as quickly as possible,” the officials said.