Tess Zijlstra studies Econometrics and works at the Source and Contact Tracing department of the GGD Rotterdam-Rijnmond. She makes phone calls all day to inform people that they are infected with the coronavirus. “I mainly ask what they did and who they came into contact with during the infection period. I also pass on the quarantine measures ,” says Tess. Her work may sound simple, but it is not. “I find it difficult to bring the bad news to people who are already in a difficult situation, such as people with underlying conditions. Fortunately I haven’t had that often, but when it happens, I sometimes have to shed a tear after work.”
Her part-time job at the GGD brought her into contact with the human side of the pandemic. “We don’t always make the smartest choices, especially when it comes to corona measures. But I really see that we are trying to do our best.”
