Associations start information campaign after coronavirus infections

The student associations are embarking on a joint campaign to raise awareness among students about the coronavirus rules. This was agreed during a meeting with mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb on Tuesday.

On Tuesday afternoon, the associations were invited to meet the mayor. According to preses Merel van Lunen from the Rotterdam Chamber of Associations (RKvV), they had a good discussion. Eurekaweek president Sander Doede van Troostwijk also referred to a ‘constructive’ meeting.

On Monday, Aboutaleb said that he did not intend to ban events like Eurekaweek, but that he was monitoring developments. The associations agree that students have become laxer. “The problem is a lack of willingness among students to test and the high number of contacts involved,” said Van Lunen at the end of the meeting. A campaign, which involves as many student associations as possible and ‘hopefully the university too’, should act as ‘a reality check’ for the students and positively influence their behaviour. “So that we can enjoy a good socially-distanced introductory week,” says Van Lunen.

Eurekaweek

The organisations will continue to consult each other in the coming weeks, says Doede van Troostwijk. “There are lots of different ideas on the table, which we will develop in the coming period.” He could not say whether the agreements would affect Eurekaweek. “That will be going ahead in any case, and we are prepared for all scenarios.”

In recent weeks, between ten and twenty students have contracted COVID-19, including a number of medical students after attending a beach volleyball tournament. The GGD Rotterdam-Rijnmond is still involved in the contact tracing and is concerned about the possibility of more coronavirus cases emerging.