On Thursday, January 30, the world health organization WHO declared the coronavirus a global emergency. Based on this, TU/e’s Executive Board changed its travel advice for students and staff members. Travelling to China or Hong Kong was no longer allowed, and the provisional end date was set on March 1.

TU/e spokesman Ivo Jongsma spent the last days trying to find out how many students and staff members resided in China on Friday. “That number seemed to be eighty at the time,” Jongsma says, “including six students. But that information was no longer valid at that moment already, because many of these people were busy leaving the country. According to the most recent overview, the one based on yesterday afternoon’s information, the number of people still residing in China is 29. These are all staff members; the students have returned.”

Wuhan

According to Jongsma, none of the people who returned during the last few days, came from Wuhan, the city with a population of over 11 million where the virus was first discovered. “Two PhD students currently reside in Wuhan and are forced to remain there because of the travel ban,” Jongsma says. “We are in contact with both of them and they are fine. There are five staff members in China with whom we haven’t established contact yet.”

Apart from the above-mentioned group, six new Chinese students started their study program at TU/e this week, Jongsma says. “They all managed to get to the Netherlands on time.” Jongsma can’t say in detail whether these students are currently quarantined. He has however currently identified ten people who had planned a trip to China in the coming months.

Up to date overview

The spokesman says that obtaining an up to date overview of TU/e staff members and students and their locations in China was no easy task. “The vast majority of staff members and students who still resided in China last week were Chinese nationals who were there in their free time. Probably because of Chinese New Year, which was celebrated on January 25. We usually don’t keep track of where our staff members go on holiday, nor do we stay in touch with them during the holidays. That also wouldn’t be desirable from a privacy viewpoint. The same applies to students and guest researchers. In order to get a complete overview of this group, and to see whether people need help, we requested information on a group level, and tried to contact everyone individually from there.”

It was announced on Friday that TU/e follows the RIVM’s policy on repatriation. The university will reimburse students or staff members for the extra costs as a result of repatriation, insofar the costs aren’t covered by the government and the EU. Those who choose to remain quarantined upon return from China can count on the university’s understanding regarding work and study. At this point, Jongsma also can’t say how many staff members and students are affected by the travel ban issued by the Executive Board one week ago.