DFM Kerala 2021 COVID consent appendix
| Project title | Dried Fish Matters: Mapping the social economy of dried fish in South and Southeast Asia for enhanced wellbeing and nutrition |
|---|---|
| Component | Scoping Study: Kerala, India |
| Principal Investigator | Dr. Derek S. Johnson, Department of Anthropology, 432 Fletcher Argue Bldg., The University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2 Canada. Email: Derek.johnson@umanitoba.ca |
| Local Coordinators | Dr. Holly Hapke, Research Development Director. School of Social Sciences, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697-5100. Phone: 949 824 3183. E-mail: hhapke@uci.edu |
| Dr. Nikita Gopal, Principal Scientist, Indian Council of Agricultural Research - Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (ICAR-CIFT), CIFT Road Matsyapuri, Willingdon Island, Kochi, Kerala 682029, India. E-mail: Nikiajith@gmail.com | |
| Sponsor | Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) |
This document contains important information about in-person research during the COVID-19 public health crisis. COVID-19 (also called SARS-CoV2) is an illness caused by the coronavirus. Coronaviruses are most commonly spread from an infected person through: a) respiratory droplets when you cough or sneeze; b) close personal contact, such as touching or shaking hands; or c) touching something with the virus on it, then touching your eyes, nose or mouth before washing your hands.
The University of Manitoba is committed to taking measures to protect the health and safety of their campuses and the wider community. Your safety is important to us. The university has suspended most research that cannot be conducted remotely or virtually. This project requires in-person visits. Therefore, it is important to understand that your participation in this study may increase your exposure to COVID-19.
Our project has been approved to proceed by the Research Ethics Board, our Faculty, the COVID Recovery Response Team, the COVID Recovery Steering Committee, and the University Provost. In order to gain approval, we created policies to ensure the safety of the research team and participants. These plans were reviewed and approved by the parties above. These precautions include:
- All study research teams are wearing reusable or disposable masks. You are also required to wear a mask.
- We will provide you with a COVID screening questionnaire. If you answer yes to any of the questions, we will cancel or reschedule your interview. You should not participate in an interview if you are not feeling well or exhibiting any symptoms of COVID-19, if you have been a close contact with someone with COVID-19 (or awaiting tests results), or have been told by a health official to self-isolate.
- We will maintain a minimum distance of two metres between all researchers and participants in each interview.
- Contact time will be limited to a maximum of 90 minutes.
- We will follow any additional precautions listed in current regulations, guidelines, and orders issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Disaster Management Department of the Government of Kerala.
COVID-19 is a serious health threat and the situation is evolving rapidly. If you feel that you are from a group that is more vulnerable to COVID-19 effects (e.g., senior, immuno-compromised), please discuss your participation with the research team before providing your consent. You are under no obligation to participate and can change your mind about participating in the research at any time and without consequence.
There is a possibility that during your participation in the study you could come into contact with someone with COVID-19. We are required to collect your personal contact information that we must retain in order to follow up with you and/or conduct contact tracing if you may have been exposed to COVID-19 in coming to the research site. We cannot guarantee anonymity as the personal contact information identifies you as a participant and we may be required to disclose this information in the event of a possible exposure. Your contact information will be kept separately from data collected through the research study to allow for de-identification of the research data. You maintain your right to withdraw from the study at any time, including your research data. If you do withdraw from the study, we will still need to continue to maintain your contact information and will only give it to the Government of Kerala health authorities if required for contact tracing. Please note, local health officials will not have access to your research data.
If you have questions regarding this study, measures we are taking to keep all parties safe, or have any concerns, please do not hesitate to ask. You can contact any of the above named researchers or the Human Ethics office at humanethics@umanitoba.ca.
Your signature on this form indicates that you have understood to your satisfaction the information regarding participation and the COVID-19 risk and agree to participate. In no way does this waive your legal rights nor release the researchers, sponsors, or involved institutions from their legal and professional responsibilities. Your continued participation should be as informed as your initial consent, so you should feel free to ask for clarification or new information throughout your participation.
Participant Name _________________________
Contact Information (phone # or email): ___________________
Participant’s Signature ____________________________ Date: ____________________
