In case you are thinking about this - the answer is:

No. You should not be doing field work right now.

A thread (1/5)

1) If you are in a state with shelter-in-place orders, the decision should be clear. STAY HOME*

*Unless you are saving people, feeding people, or making things that save or feed people.

I study pollinators. My watching them right now does not save lives.

2) If you are a PI you cannot ask students in your lab if they feel "comfortable doing field work." There is a clear power dynamic here.

Many students will think they cannot say no and continue to be seen as the awesome serious and dedicated grad students that they are!

3) There is not a tenure committee, granting institution, journal editor* or reviewer on the entire planet who will give you a hard time about "no data were collected spring/summer 2020."

*I am a subject editor for Restoration Ecology

4) If for none of these reasons, from an ecological perspective, this spring/summer will be strange outside. In cities especially, these data are outliers.

If you want to research write a review! A meta-analysis!

Just STAY HOME.

5) We are all in this - not collecting data - together. It feels bad and sad and strange.

Take a walk.

Be thankful you are healthy enough to want to do field work.

And STAY HOME.