Safety measures regarding coronavirus

In all our decision-making regarding this exceptional situation, IHS follows the EUR policies (based on the general Dutch guidelines). Learn more about the most recent developments on the novel coronavirus at the website of RIVM. RIVM monitors the situation in the Netherlands and advises the public through this channel.

General measures

EUR and IHS are using the following policies and guidelines:

• As of 17 March all buildings - with the exception of residential buildings - will be closed for students, until further notice. 
• All study places and catering on the Woudestein campus, the EUC campus, the Hoboken campus and the ISS campus will be closed from Monday March 16th. In addition, the sports building on the Woudestein campus is also closed, other buildings remain open for activities of the teaching staff. Students are discouraged to come to campus and are strongly advised to study at home.
• In the letter to parliament, the Cabinet writes that education should only be given at a distance. For the EUR, this means that we will make maximum use of online education and, if necessary, make additional investments and efforts. All on-campus education, including on-campus exams, will therefore be canceled from March 13 until at least April 6th.
• Events with more than 100 people, such as fairs, concerts and sports competitions, must be canceled throughout the Netherlands, the Prime Minister announced Thursday March 12th. The EUR goes along with this, which means that all meetings with more than 100 people are not allowed. This also applies to inaugural lectures, open days and conferences and so on.
• Furthermore, the Cabinet asks everyone with mild sickness complaints to stay at home. We follow this advice.
  Do you have mild complaints? Stay at home. Do you have more serious complaints? Stay at home, report ill and then contact your doctor by phone.
• It is also now the government's advice to work from home as much as possible or to spread working hours. EUR and IHS employees need to discuss this with their managers. It is possible to determine the best for each team, for example working with shifts, etc.
• Vulnerable persons: (elderly and persons with reduced resistance) avoid large groups and public transport. In general, people are urged to limit visits to vulnerable people.
• Schools in primary, secondary and secondary vocational education and childcare simply remain open: there are few infections there and the environment is less international. Moreover, children and young people do not form the group with the highest risks. In addition, the social consequences of closing these schools are said to be significant and little contributes to limiting the spread. Children who have a cold should stay at home.

We are aware that these extraordinary circumstances and measures require a lot of effort from you and that this can lead to feelings of uncertainty, fear and confusion. As IHS, we are taking the coronavirus and its risks for our students, our PhD candidates and our staff seriously and we will do our best to eliminate uncertainty by keeping you updated. We greatly appreciate everyone's involvement and commitment.

For students currently in Rotterdam

IHS has cancelled all face-to-face meetings (lectures, research groups) until further notice. Provisions are being made to provide lectures and collaboration opportunities on-line.

For students planning to come to Rotterdam shortly

All courses in the upcoming weeks are postponed until further notice. You will be kept informed about the alternative plans concerning the course/program you have enlisted for. The applications for the master programmes are still open and not affected by this situation at the moment. We will keep you informed about any upcoming changes.

Stay up to date

Keep an eye on the website https://www.eur.nl/en/news-calendar/dossiers/corona, the FAQs are regularly updated. You can also contact the Service Desk via: (010) 408 88 80 or the contact form.

Information from the Dutch government

For information from the Dutch government, please see the RIVM website. If you have additional questions, the Dutch government has opened phone lines regarding the Corona pandemic:

• 0800-1351 (Dutch)
• +31 020 20 51351 (English)