Older updates concerning coronavirus

Mentally and physically fit during the corona outbreak

All of the Netherlands is affected by the coronavirus outbreak. It is an extraordinary situation, in which everybody will have to find a new rhythm. The measures recently introduced by the central government mean that all education by Tilburg University will be provided online until the end of this academic year. This means, for example, that you will no longer meet your fellow students during lectures or on our campus. We can imagine that this is a difficult and stressful time full of uncertainty. The new measures require a great deal of flexibility from everyone and you may feel that you are on your own.

Together or on your own

Many students are at home with family or live in digs with fellow students. There are also students who are far away from home and their families. We can imagine that this sudden and surreal situation is hard on them. Worry, stress, and sadness: the corona crisis has an impact on us all. We have collected tips and advice to help you support and manage your wellbeing in this difficult period.

What activities can you still undertake? How can you remain in contact with your study mates? Are there any online events? And where can you go if you should not feel so good? If you need help, that is quite normal and there are possibilities for that.

Need more help?

If you need more help after having read the tips and advice, you can always make an appointment with the student psychologists, a program coordinator, or a Dean of Students. You can also contact the Tilburg University social worker.

Looking after your mental health? Go to Student and Health during the corona crisis.

In line with the general measures taken by the central government, the Tilburg University Executive Board has decided to offer education online until the end of the academic year. This means that lectures and exams will take place online or in alternative ways. The exams will start from week 21 (May 18) and week 22 (May 25), depending on the study program, the examination schedule will follow. The way in which the exams are going to take place is something we are working on very hard right now. More information will follow as soon as possible.

We follow the new guidelines for meetings and events, these have all been cancelled until June 1. If, in the meantime, government regulations are adjusted, we will assess what activities – in addition to online lectures and exams – can take place on campus.

We realize that the situation created by the coronavirus (and the necessary measures against it) is very unpleasant for all our students. Not only does the situation cause a lot of practical inconvenience, it also raises questions for many students about the progress of education this academic year. Hereby, you will receive an update on the progress of the education, including examinations, in the coming period. The basic principle for this is to do as much as possible to prevent study delay and to complete the education before the end of the academic year.

Education

• The education will start as originally planned and scheduled, if necessary this education will be provided online (whereby the existing timetable is and remains the starting point).
• In order to create space to catch up on the examinations planned after March 12, the education in block 4 (or the rest of the semester) will be one week shorter.

Examinations

• All examinations scheduled after March 12 will be rescheduled from either May 18 or May 25 (this differs per program). A new exam schedule, based on those dates, will follow as soon as possible.
• Students will be informed later on the way in which the examinations will take place.
• Information about this and possible other changes regarding education and examinations will be communicated through Canvas.

It is good to know that in the background a lot of hard work is being done to support online education and to develop possibilities for remote assessments. We will inform students in good time about developments in this area.

The above guidelines apply from March 20, 2020 – 17:00 until further notice.

• Students who meet the BSA standard within the academic year 2019-2020 will receive a positive recommendation this academic year. 
• Students who do not meet the BSA standard of their study program because they have been delayed as a result of the national corona-related measures, will be granted a postponement. These students will have the opportunity to obtain a positive recommendation in the academic year 2020-2021.
• For students at Tilburg University, this means that students who are granted a postponement will receive a personal progress report at the end of the academic year. In this way, we ensure that we carefully advise students on the next step in their study career.

To make sure that we have an overview of who is on campus, access to buildings will be controlled from Friday morning, March 20, at 8.00 hrs. The buildings will remain accessible only to those who need to be able to enter as a matter of urgency.

For employees, this means that they can enter with their Tilburg University card; make sure you have your card with you. If you haven’t, you can get in under supervision of Security staff. You can reach Security via the telephone number posted on all main entrance doors. Please make sure that you have the key to your office with you, as well as identification.

We urgently request employees to work from home as much as possible and to coordinate this with their supervisor. Employees can come to the campus to work only for matters that cannot be done from home (e.g., teachers who need to record online classes or lectures), and if they observe the measures published by the central government on March 12.

All important information relation to working from home has been brought together on this page. Do you want to know more about how you can work at home effectively behind your laptop or PC and avoid pain in your neck or shoulders? Then take a look at this document.

Please note that the limited access to the campus does not apply to the lending of books/materials from the Library by students and staff. You can use the Library’s lending facilities on workdays between 10:00 and 14:00 hrs.. You can enter the Library without a University card. All study places are closed, everywhere on the campus.

In the light of the guidelines of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ guidelines, Tilburg University urgently calls on all its Dutch students and staff abroad to return to the Netherlands. We do so because there are currently no areas where there is no risk of spreading corona and because of the increasing travel restrictions imposed by more and more countries.  The university will assist you where possible and try to minimize as much as possible the negative consequences of your having to return. It is necessary for students and staff to register and sign up on BijzonderebijstandBuitenland.nl

Together with the Dutch student or employee concerned who is currently staying abroad, we look into the situation and strive to find the best possible solution, in coordination with the supervisor and/or director.

Outgoing exchange students from Tilburg University are asked to contact the Study Abroad & Exchange Office.

International degree students can contact the education coordinator of their School.

Employees are requested to contact the Human Resources Division  via e-mail: hrpolicy@tilburguniversity.edu

Dear students and staff of Tilburg University,

These are exceptional times for the Netherlands and for our university. The coronavirus is now dominating our lives. In the past week, we have been compelled to take increasingly far-reaching measures in an effort to combat the spreading of the virus. In Brabant, the momentum was even higher than in the rest of the Netherlands. Since we have taken so many measures that deeply affect everything we do, colleagues have toiled long and hard to ensure the smooth operation of processes in research, education, and the support services. We are deeply grateful for the way in which everyone has collaborated to allow education activities to go ahead, facilities to be set up, and to continue working where this was not possible in other ways, and for your numerous other efforts!

The current situation is expected to last for weeks and will raise new questions for us each day. Our crisis team and our corona steering committee are working on them every day, as are so many of you. We know there are many questions about education, travel, working from home, et cetera. We are trying to answer them as well as we can and as quickly as we can. All questions and answers are on the website. That is the place where our communication efforts converge: it is the best place to go for information. Should you have questions or suggestions that we have not yet found an answer to, please contact our team via the website.

We also see that all kinds of initiatives are emerging to support people who are having a hard time. We are delighted to see how caring our community is for people who will really need our help at this time and in future weeks. In the coming weeks, we will also pay attention to the impact of this crisis in the medium term, for education and research, and for business operations. Behind the scenes, we are working hard on solutions, too.

Together we will be able to get through this difficult time. We hope that we will all do so in good health and, where this is not the case, that we will be able to support each other.

Take care and be well,

The Executive Board
Koen Becking
Klaas Sijtsma
Paulina Snijders 

We understand that the decision to close daycare centers and primary schools can have important consequences for many of our employees. In view of this exceptional situation, Tilburg University wants to be accommodating as regards the arrangements for emergency leave and special leave. We also appeal to you as employees to see what can be done by staggering or adapting your working times. If you can work only partly or not at all because you need to take care of your children, you will be given the opportunity to take 100% paid emergency and special leave for those hours until April 6, 2020. Please make arrangements with your supervisor on your work, your availability, any adjustments to your working hours and, if necessary, whether you will take the leave referred to above and, if so, when. You do not need to submit a leave request in the My Employee portal or via the HR Service Center.

The measures that were taken earlier and that can be found in earlier updates, have now been extended up to and including April 6, 2020.

Based on the new measures announced on March 15, the following new measures for Tilburg University enter into effect immediately.

• All catering establishments on campus will be closed.
• The study places in all buildings will be closed.
• PhD ceremonies will take place online as much as possible.
• Everyone is asked to maintain a distance of 1.5 meters from other people.
• For staff with school-age and young children who currently have no childcare options available, further guidelines will be published tomorrow. They can contact their supervisor to discuss solutions for the next few days.

Tilburg University advises its outgoing exchange students in red AND orange areas on the map to to consider returning to the Netherlands. All students who are currently residing in one of these specific regions will be informed by the Study Abroad & Exchange Office via email. In case students will have a study delay due to his or her forced return, the student will be eligible for Financial Support for Students (FOS) or in Dutch profileringsfonds under the current conditions.

Tilburg University students who are currently residing in other areas, and who want to come home due to the uncertain situation, regardless of the travel advice from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, are asked to contact the Study Abroad & Exchange Office for advice.

Our advice is to always carefully monitor the instructions from your host university and act accordingly. In addition, students are advised to register to the Dutch Ambassy in their host country

Should the travel advice of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs change or if we receive information that the situation has changed, we will inform the students who are in that particular region at that point and advise them.

All students who have been in one of the risk areas (red and orange on the map) are requested to stay at home 14 days after their return.

Risk areas (red and orange areas on the map) can be found on the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs website. Under ‘Reisadvies: kies uw bestemming’, enter the country that you want information on, in Dutch (use initial capital!) and click the blue button.

The Government decided today that educational activities are no longer allowed at universities and universities of applied sciences. The Executive Board has taken a number of measures that are effective immediately and apply up to and including March 31.

• All buildings close daily at 18:00 hours. The restaurant (mensa) is open until 19.00 for take-away meals. During weekends all buildings are closed.
• There will be no more lectures on location, only online. Lecturers can make use of livestream possibilities in the lecture halls.
• All examinations on location have been canceled. Tilburg University will let students know as soon as possible how it will deal with the consequences of canceling examinations.
• Students can continue to make use of the library's lending function and takeaway facilities at our restaurants. A limited number of self-study places are available.
• PhD defenses continue with fewer than 100 attendees.

• The measure on working from home will remain in force up to and including March 31. Staff are only allowed to be on campus if there is no other way and always with the permission of their supervisor.

These new measures, which have come on top of previous ones, have a major impact on our primary process, which we very much regret. It requires a lot of flexibility from both our staff and students. Government policy is necessary to counter the risk of the virus spreading.

Please check the update above for the most up-to-date information

In response to the new policy announced today by the government and RIVM to prevent further spread of the coronavirus, Tilburg University is taking the following measures. These, as well as all previous measures, will be in force at least until March 31. The new measures take effect immediately.

• All buildings close daily at 18:00 hours. The restaurant (mensa) is open until 19.00 for take-away meals. During weekends all buildings are closed.
• Lectures for up to 100 students will continue as planned, possibly online. Lectures with more than 100 students can only (and where possible) be offered online.
• Examinations will continue but will be administered in groups of fewer than 100 candidates. The examinations already planned will take place according to the examination schedule. The measure of not more than 100 persons in an examination room will be taken into account.
• The Restaurant (mensa) is only available for take-away meals. The seating area is closed. Other takeaways such as Cobbenhagen, CUBE, Starbucks, and Albert Heijn-to-Go are open.
• The library remains open for borrowing, but the study areas will be closed.
• No more than 100 students will be admitted to the self-study areas in other places on the campus.
• PhD defenses will continue, as well as small events, but with a maximum of 100 guests.
• Students are invited to study at home, but if that is not possible, they are welcome on campus.

Following the newly announced governmental measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the consequences for planned examinations and lectures will be mapped out as soon as possible and published on the website.

Tilburg University responds to the call of the health and other authorities to work at home, if possible, and online, in order to prevent the virus from further spreading. Working from home is mostly possible for the support staff and researchers. As far as education is concerned, the university, like all educational institutions, has an obligation to provide education.

The government's guidelines are that, also in this situation, the primary process of education must continue. Tilburg University complies with this guideline. Nevertheless, we can imagine that students and lecturers are worried. The RIVM issues guidelines for everyone: wash hands, do not shake hands with people and stay at home when you have health problems. If everyone adheres to these guidelines, together we can provide a safe educational environment.

For students who are unable to attend lectures because of health problems, we offer online opportunities to attend lectures.

In response to the call by the mayors of Noord-Brabant to all citizens to take responsibility in reducing social contacts, in order to limit the spread of the corona virus, the university made the following decisions:

• The university asks event organizers to critically consider whether or not to allow the event to go ahead. They can weigh up the number of participants, the necessity of the event and the risks of infection.
• The Executive Board of Tilburg University has decided to close the Sports Center from Wednesday, March 11, 2020 until Monday, March 16, 2020.

All previously taken measures remain in force.

In response to the call by the mayors of Noord-Brabant for all citizens to take personal responsibility in reducing social contacts and thus limit the spread of the virus, the university decided the following. The university asks event organisers to critically consider whether or not to allow the event to go ahead. They can weigh up the number of participants, the necessity of the event and the risks of infection. All measures, including those taken previously, remain in force until Monday.

Based on new government guidelines, Tilburg University is calling on its employees to work from home in the coming seven days wherever possible (up to and including Monday March 16). This concerns employees the nature of whose work permits this, for instance, office workers and researchers. If necessary they can consult by telephone. Working from home always happens in consultation with the supervisor/Managing Director of the relevant unit.

Lectures must continue as much as possible, so teachers and students will come to the university. Teachers should prepare to provide lectures online. The university will continue to be open in conformity with the instructions.

An employee of the support staff of the Tilburg School of Catholic Theology (TST) in Utrecht has been infected with the coronavirus. This has been confirmed by the Municipal Health Service (GGD) in Utrecht. The employee has been in contact with an acquaintance who had recently visited Northern Italy. The employee is currently in isolation at home. ‘Since the employee has not been at the university campus in Tilburg nor in the Bonifatiushuis building in Utrecht after he developed symptoms, there is no risk to employees and students,’ the GGD Utrecht has stated.

The employee became ill on Tuesday evening. On Wednesday, employees who had been in contact with him in the course of that Tuesday were requested to stay at home as a precaution. The workplace at the School where this person works has been thoroughly cleaned. The GGD Utrecht is now further investigating the contacts of the employee outside the university to prevent the virus from spreading further.

According to the regional GGD, educational and other activities in the building and on the campus can continue as usual since there has been no risk of infection. Tilburg University follows the advice of the GGD and the guidelines of the RIVM (National Institute for Public Health and Environmental Protection).

“The RIVM (National Institute for Public Health and Environmental Protection) advises inhabitants of the province of Noord-Brabant to minimize social contact if they have symptoms of a cold, coughing, or fever. This means: stay at home. For instance, work from home, do not visit other people or places where many people congregate. Should you have symptoms and still want to go out, try as much as possible to keep a distance from other people. This will reduce the risk of inadvertently spreading the virus. Call your doctor only if your symptoms get worse." 

Source: RIVM, March 6, 2020

We follow the RIVM’s advice. We request employees, students, and visitors not to come to the campus but to stay at home if they have minor symptoms, like a cold, coughing, or fever. Employees are requested to work from home and to report to their supervisor. Students with symptoms are requested not to come to campus, not even for lectures and exams. In that case, consult the Frequently Asked Questions below for how to proceed. 

Tilburg University is open. We are in close contact with the Municipal Health Service (GGD) and are following the guidelines of the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM). 

New Frequently Asked Questions (and answers) have been added at the bottom of the page.

In addition to the guideline for staff and students, potential visitors from high-risk areas (red and orange on the map) are requested not to visit the campus 14 days after their return. Events will take place in accordance with the guidelines of the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM).
The Executive Board requests event organizers to make this additional guideline known to potential visitors in a timely fashion. 

Until further notice, employees and students are not permitted to make business trips to the risk areas (red and orange on the map). Permission for any exceptions must be requested from the Executive Board via the Secretary of the University. 

All students and staff who have been in one of the risk areas (red and orange on the map) are requested to stay at home 14 days after their return.

Tilburg University is open. We are in close contact with the Municipal Health Service (GGD) and are following the guidelines of the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM). 

Another case of the coronavirus has been confirmed in Tilburg. The first concerns a man who now is in the Elisabeth-TweeSteden Hospital.