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international

GGD Amsterdam: increase in corona cases in age group of students

Sterre van der Hee,
18 september 2020 - 13:40

The GGD Amsterdam, which keeps a register of the number of corona infections, has reported an increase in infections in the age group 19-30. The GGD cannot provide exact figures on the number of infections among students but the municipality has restarted discussions with student associations, believing that young people are having difficulty keeping to the 1.5 meter measure.

Reporting a corona case to the UvA is voluntary. Under the General Data Protection Regulation, the UvA is not allowed to require a student or employee to inform the university after positive test results, and therefore does not know how many students or employees have tested positive. ‘At the moment, the number of voluntary reports from students is still low’, said a spokesperson.

‘In Nijmegen, three student cafes were closed. After one closure, 230 people had to be quarantined’

Student spreaders

Media across the country have reported an increasing number of infections among students this week. Students in Delft made up 80 per cent of the people who tested positive in the city. In Nijmegen, three student cafes were closed. After one closure, 230 people had to be quarantined. At student associations Albertus and the Navigators in Groningen, several students have been reported as testing positive and Rotterdam had outbreaks in August among members of the student association SSR.

 

Twenty four students have tested positive after the introduction week in Maastricht, at the UTwente, a project group had to be quarantined, and GGD Hollands Midden reported an increase in infections among students in Leiden. The number of infections in Leiden is now four times higher than during the lockdown, although there was much less tests conducted during this period.

 

Limited pub visits

Minister Hugo de Jonge of Public Health said this week that things, ‘are not going in the right direction’ especially in the west, in big cities and among students. Extra measures have been announced in various regions, including Amsterdam-Amstelland. On Thursday evening, the NOS reported that late pub visits in large cities will likely be discouraged under new measures and that the maximum number of pople who can meet in groups will be reduced from 100 to 50 people.

 

A press conference will follow on NPO 1 on Friday evening at 7 PM.