The vast majority of new cases in the Province are in the 18-30 age group
“When it is decided to close student associations, the problem is moved and not solved. Instead of well-guided pub nights with a distance of five feet, you get irregular house parties where the virus can spread freely”. That is the view of the Groningen University Council party De Vrije Student (a centre-right student party linked to the VVD). The party believes that there should be more nuance in the debate surrounding worryingly high Coronavirus infections among students.
The party emphasises the importance of student associations and societies in the prevention of infections in the private sphere, reports the GIC.
“We must not forget that we have more than 200 student organisations in Groningen,” says DVS leader David Jan Meijer, “at the moment only 5 associations have been diagnosed with infections and only 1 association has been designated as the actual source of infection. The majority of infections therefore take place in the regular hospitality industry and in private circles. ”
Meijer notes that student associations have been extra sharp in enforcing the Coronavirus measures since they were allowed to reopen in September: “The student administrators are extremely aware of the responsibility that rests on their shoulders, so the measures are more often enforced more strictly than in the regular hospitality industry. There is an enormous sense of responsibility among these directors.”
De Vrije Student is calling on Mayor Schuiling to see the student bars as a solution to the Coronavirus outbreak in the city, and not as a problem: “It is precisely because these students are so keen on this that we see a culture of approach developing within associations. Make use of the sense of responsibility that exists, only in this way can we prevent subsequent infections. ”
Meijer assumes that the Safety Region recognises this importance: “When a decision is made to close student associations, the problem is moved and not solved. Instead of pub nights a meter and a half away, you get house parties where the virus can spread freely. The culture of appeal and the sense of responsibility is much less present there”, says Meijer.
