As of the 13th March, the Rosalind Franklin Institute offices at Harwell are closed, and staff are working from home, in line with government guidance on physical distancing. Thanks to business continuity planning and the commitment of our staff, all business systems are operational, and staff are contactable by normal means, either by e-mail or on the phone.
Unfortunately much of the lab work both at Harwell and at our partner spokes, in common with other labs around the world, is severely disrupted. A very small number of team members at Harwell are continuing essential lab work that relates to the current outbreak under pre-agreed protocols. Conditions are reviewed daily both within the team and with our partners at Harwell.
These are extraordinary times, and we are all, as a team, reviewing guidance daily and responding to it as quickly and effectively as possible. As a result, we are unable to provide timeframes for the duration of this work from home period, but will keep the community updated, and continue to keep systems operational so that ‘business as usual’ can be maintained as far as possible.
This situation has served to strengthen both our teamwork and commitment to the Franklin’s transformative technologies – the need for new insight into health has never been so starkly illustrated.