Infected student was possibly on campus

The interviews are part of the contact investigation that was reported earlier. The student infected with the coronavirus gave the GGD a contact overview. According to a spokesperson, the GGD asked these people to keep an eye on their health. In case of complaints, they will be tested for the virus. In the meantime there are no restrictions for them.

A TU Delft spokesperson refuses to say at which Faculty the infected student studies. “The question is how relevant that is. We’ll wait and see what the GGD says. If they say we have to close or cancel something, we’ll do that.”

In the meantime, the university urges all staff and students to stay at home if they have respiratory complaints or suffer from coughing, shortness of breath or fever. This applies to everyone with these complaints, reports the TU, ‘regardless of where you have been and with whom you have had contact’. The university asks these people to call their family doctor and follow their instructions.

‘Do not shake hands’

This message from the Executive Board late Sunday evening followed the Sunday afternoon news that a TU student of 23 had returned from northern Italy infected. The student is currently in home isolation and is doing well, writes TU Delft. According to the university, she ‘acted quickly and adequately and called her family doctor immediately at the first symptoms’. ‘The area health authority GGD is currently doing contact research on a dozen contacts.’

The GGD does not currently impose any restrictions on the university, says the TU, but it still chooses to take extra measures ‘in view of our open and international character’ combined with the infected student.

For the time being the university remains open, but TU Delft expands the hygiene measures already taken with another request: don’t shake hands. It also asks for vigilance: ‘TU Delft is counting on students and staff to take responsibility, to help each other and to speak to each other whenever necessary’.

In the meantime, people are calling TU Delft with questions like ‘I have a sore throat, do I have to stay home now’. The answer is yes. It also appears that some parties have taken their own measures. For example, the Coffeestar in the TU Delft Library no longer accepts self brought mugs and cups.

^{Image: Marjolein van der Veldt}