Potential tent in front of Jacobs hall
UG wants to speed test at Zernike
The university has discussed the possibilities with the ministry of Education, Culture, and Science. Now, they have to wait for their response, rector magnificus Cisca Wijmenga said during a university council committee meeting.
Earlier plans by the UG to set up its own speed-testing lane were thwarted by the XL testing location at MartiniPlaza, which appeared to render the university facilities redundant.
Nowhere near capacity
However, the MartiniPlaza location only tests people who work in elementary or secondary education and who have a specific code from their employer. The testing facility is not even near its capacity.
‘We’re talking to the GGD about this issue’, says Wijmenga. ‘But for some reason, they’re being kind of rigid about this. I’m not sure why.’
Closer to campus
The situation might change now that people who aren’t suffering any symptoms can get tested as well, Wijmenga admitted. ‘But they would still have to go all the way to the MartiniPlaza. It would be nice to have a testing facility that’s closer to campus.’
On top of that, people often have to wait quite a while for their test results at MartiniPlaza, even though it should only take fifteen minutes. ‘Some people have to wait up to two hours’, says Wijmenga. ‘If you’re testing people ahead of a big exam, you can’t have waiting times like that.’