PU COVID-19 timeline

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Timeline and conditions by area of impact

Federal, State and County Restrictions

• March 24, 2020: Statewide stay at home order went into effect until May 4, 2020. 

On Campus Instruction

• March 10, 2020: Purdue announces all faculty and staff are to move their courses to online or alternate delivery before March 23 and to be prepared to continue as long as in person instruction seems inadvisable.
• March 16, 2020: Purdue announces it will move to remote learning for remainder of Spring 2020.
• March 25, 2020: Memo to all instructors and department heads announces that S20 teaching evaluations will be abbreviated and results available to instructors only, with no use for summative purposes.
• April 6, 2020: All courses, graduate and undergraduate, that start in the months of May or June will be conducted remotely. 
• May 15, 2020: Fall Academic Calendar announced.
• September 8, 2020: Alternate Spring 2021 Academic Calendar announced.

Other Instructional/activity Changes

• March 5, 2020: Purdue suspends all international study abroad spring break programs.
• March 10, 2020: Purdue cancels all summer study abroad.
• April 15, 2020: Purdue cancels all in-person events at the West Lafayette campus for the months of May and June.
• May 15, 2020: Purdue cancels all events on campus in July, Summer College for High School Students will be conducted online.  Summer Start and Early Start programs begin July 10 in person as planned.
• May 20, 2020: Effective May 26, new protocols issued on safe health practices; required face masks, distancing, robust personal hygiene.
• June 24, 2020: Required COVID-19 training for all faculty and staff must be completed by July 1
• June 29, 2020: Student international travel, regardless of funding source or country, including but not limited to study abroad and student organization sponsored trips, is suspended through February 2021.
• July 7, 2020: All Fall 2020 university sponsored on campus convocations will be cancelled.

Travel Restrictions

• February 1, 2020: Purdue suspends travel to China.
• February 4, 2020: New travel guidance and monitoring guidelines for those who have recently entered the United States from China by the Center for Disease Control and the US Department of State.
• February 26, 2020: Purdue suspends University sponsored travel to additional countries the CDC as listed as level 2 and level 3 risks for coronavirus.
• June 29, 2020: International travel on external grant funds for critical research that meets certain criteria may be approved.  No university-sponsored international travel, regardless of funding source is allowed.
• June 29, 2020: Travel within the State of Indiana is allowed.
• June 29, 2020: All domestic travel outside of Indiana, regardless of funding source, may be approved for the purpose of completing essential work and should only occur if the travel can be conducted in full compliance with public health guidelines by Indiana and destination state.

Research/Creative Activities In All Campus Facilities

• March 19, 2020: Theresa Mayer announces all personnel working in campus facilities are following current social distancing and safety hygiene practices. Be prepared to move to a significant reduction in our campus research operations on a short notice.
• March 22, 2020: Beginning March 25 all research, academic and administrative buildings will remain locked throughout the day. 
• March 23, 2020: Stay at home order effects non-critical research until April 7.  Critical research functions are allowed.
• March 24, 2020: Message from Theresa Mayer and Jay Akridge, critical researchers must complete Critical On-Campus Research Continuity Information Form.
• May 3, 2020: Phased Return to research operations announced to allow Purdue’s research enterprise to return to safe operation between May 4 and June 30.  Phase 1 begins May 4 and continues through May 15.
• May 19, 2020: Details on Transition to Phase 2 of return to research operations announced.  Research operations will return in a phased manner building by building.
• May 27, 2020: Researchers who need to be physically present to conduct research begin submitting COVID-19 SOPs to reopen research spaces. By the end of June, faculty in all buildings across campus can submit SOPs for approval.
• June 16, 2020: EVPRP updates on return to operations for research, detailing SOPs and other guidance.
• July 1, 2020: Majority of research spaces were approved to reopen with COVID-19 safety mitigation measures.
• August 23, 2020: Research space contract tracing process begin, requiring that research spaces with exposure to positive individuals are required to shut-down for 24 hours for cleaning and disinfection.

Research/Creative Activities In All Off-Campus Facilities

• June 30, 2020: Guidance for Off-Campus Research Activities in the US released. 

Research Funding

• March 9, 2020: OMB releases M-20-11 - Administrative Relief for Recipients and Applicants of Federal Financial Assistance Directly Impacted by the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). This granted flexibility to grant recipients performing essential research and emergency response due to COVID – 19 impact.
• March 9, 2020: Sponsored Program Services launches a COVID -19 Website to track and monitor COVID – 19 federal funding agency announcements.
• March 19, 2020: OMB releases M-20-17 - Administrative Relief for Recipients and Applicants of Federal Financial Assistance Directly Impacted by the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) due to Loss of Operations. This expanded the flexibility to a wider group of recipients affected by the loss of operational capacity.
• March 23, 2020: Purdue announces that all faculty and staff will receive pay and benefits through at least June 30.
• April 8, 2020: PI’s to continue to charge salary and other allowable expenses to grants or contracts, federal or non-federal, until given instructions to the contrary by either Purdue or the sponsoring agency/program manager.
• April 9, 2020: OMB releases M-20-20 - Repurposing Existing Federal Financial Assistance Programs and Awards to Support the Emergency Response to the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). This allowed agencies to repurpose federal awards to support the COVID -19 response.
• June 16, 2020: OMB rescinds M-20-11, M-20-17, M-20-20 and Purdue returns to normal salary charging practices.
• June 18, 2020: OMB releases M-20-20 - Extension of Administrative Relief for Recipients and Applicants of Federal Financial Assistance Directly Impacted by the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) due to Loss of Operations.  This allowed the salary flexibility to continue under a limited set of conditions if supported by internal policies and practices.    

Research-related Visitors

• June 12, 2020: EVPRP Theresa Mayer releases guidance for research-related visitors to on-campus buildings or facilities; visitors must view safety training video, have no COVID symptoms and wear a mask.

Research by undergraduate students

• July 22, 2020: Guidelines for Undergraduate Research announced for Fall Semester.

Hiring and Staffing

• March 19, 2020: All staff recruitment is paused.  Faculty searches still open will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by deans in consultation with the provost.
• March 25, 2020: Purdue announces that all faculty and staff will receive pay and benefits through at least June 30.

Federal Leaves programs and Protect Purdue

• June 29, 2020: Protect Purdue Health Center launched to provide dedicated health center for students, faculty and staff to facilitate consistent case management for addressing the health needs across the entire Purdue community.

Pre-K child centers

• March 13, 2020: Ben and Maxine Miller Child Development Laboratory School closes to families beginning March 16.  Returns to instruction on August 5, 2020.
• April 8, 2020:  Due to low enrollment numbers, the Patty Jischke Early Care and Education Center temporarily closes and merges with the Purdue University Early Care and Education Center. The Patty Jischke Early Care and Education Center reopens June 1, 2020.

Community Schools

• March 13, 2020: Local corporations (LSC, TSC and WLCSC) announce 2 week closure beginning March 16. The school corporations resume classes remotely beginning April 1.  All corporations finish academic year remote.
• August, 2020: Local corporations being in-person instruction.  During fall of 2020, TSC goes remote for 2 weeks.  LSC-Jeff High School goes remote for 2 weeks.  WLCSC-Intermediate goes remote for 2 days.
• January 2021: TSC returns from break with 2 week remote instruction.  LSC returns with 1 week remote instruction.  WLCSC returns from break with in-person instruction.