Parliamentary questions about skiing trip Vindicat
Parliamentary questions about Vindicat skiing trip
Door Koen Marée
By Koen Marée
One of the things they’d like to know is whether the minister agrees that ‘Vindicat travelling to an area where hundreds of people have been infected with the coronavirus is unwise’.
The PVV also wants the minister to take action to ‘protect the Groningen university community against infection’ when the association returns.
Anniversary trip
Vindicat left for its anniversary trip to Sestriere with nine hundred members last Saturday. The Italian resort is approximately two hundred kilometres from the closest case of corona infection. ‘Things are fine here’, says Vindicat rector Floris Hamann. ‘Pubs and restaurants are open like any other day.’
Hamann understands the fuss, though. ‘It’s everywhere, and the media hype is scaring people. But we’re in daily contact with the RIVM, Foreign Affairs, and the GGD. If at any point they declare the region unsafe, we’ll leave immediately. We obviously don’t intend to bring the disease with us. We’re taking this very seriously.’
Decision
UG spokesperson Jorien Bakker says it was Vindicat’s decision to go. The UG and Vindicat have been in contact, but that was because of how things were being reported in the media. ‘The association is working off of the RIVM and Foreign Affairs advice’, Bakker confirmed.
The university updated its own advice concerning the coronavirus on Monday. Classes and exams will continue as normal. The UG does advise against shaking people’s hands, in addition to the RIVM advice on hand washing and sneezing into your elbow.
The university will also take extra measures when it comes to cleaning. The buildings will be cleaned more often, and extra hand sanitiser will be supplied.