Coronavirus updates: people with mild symptoms requested to stay away from campus, first TiU employee tests positive

Anyone with a cough or a cold is requested to stay away from campus, and an employee of the Tilburg School of Catholic Theology in Utrecht has tested positive for the virus.

Infected Tilburg University employee

A member of the support staff of the Tilburg School of Catholic Theology in Utrecht has tested positive for the coronavirus on Monday, marking the first confirmed case of the coronavirus connected to Tilburg University. The university’s Board of Executives issued a statement saying the staff member became ill last week, after being in contact with an acquaintance who has recently been in northern Italy.

The infected employee is currently staying in home quarantine. His workplace has been thoroughly cleaned. The university building in Utrecht will remain open for educational and other activities. Because the employee has not visited the campus in Tilburg recently, there has been no risk of infection for students and staff located there. The local Municipal Health Service (GGD) is investigating the contacts of the infected employee outside the university to prevent the virus from spreading further.

Updated advice for staff and students: stay home if you have mild symptoms

Tilburg University has updated its precautionary measures to keep the coronavirus from spreading. An earlier request to stay away from campus only applied to students, employees and campus visitors who recently traveled to northern Italy or other high-risk regions. On Friday night, the university informed students and staff that anyone with a cough, a cold or a fever is now requested to stay home.

The university follows the guidelines of the National Institute for Public Health and Environmental Protection (RIVM). The RIVM issued an updated advice for inhabitants of the province of Noord-Brabant, where worries have emerged over confirmed cases of the virus with no link to foreign travel: stay home if you have cough, a cold or a fever. Brabanders with mild symptoms are advised to work from home, avoid visits to family and friends, and keep a distance from other people. “This reduces the chance of you spreading the virus unnoticed,” the RIVM writes on its website.

Tilburg University employees with a cough or a cold are requested to work from home and to contact their supervisor. The recommendation for students is as follows: don’t come to campus if you have mild symptoms. This could mean that students miss compulsory classes or exams. The university is currently working on a solution for those students.

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