22 January 2021

Lockdown

The Netherlands is currently in lockdown until at least 9 February, and new measures were announced on 20 January. This means that everyone has to stay at home as much as possible. Non-essential shops, restaurants and other public places are closed. Maximum group size outdoors is 2 people. The maximum number of guests you can receive at home is 1. Education at LUC will start online in block 3 until further notice. You already have been informed separately about the consequences for the program. The latest updates from Leiden University can be found here.

Evening Curfew

From 23 January until 10 February, a curfew will be imposed in the Netherlands. This means that you are not allowed to be on the street between 21.00 and 4.30 o’clock, and will be fined 95 Euro by the police if you are outside without a permitted reason. Security staff at AvB is not responsible for prohibiting students from going out of AvB, this is your own responsibility. There are only few exceptions to the curfew, including urgent medical reasons and necessary travel to and from abroad. We will send a separate email to all students about the curfew. 

Travel and Quarantine

Are you considering to return to the Netherlands in the coming period? Please be aware that a negative PCR test for Covid-19, no older than 72 hours, is required for all travelers coming into the Netherlands. This applies to travelers by plane, but also those travelling by train, coach, ship or private transport. Travelers from high-risk countries should also show a recent quick-test done just before departure.  Upon arrival, you are required to observe a 10-day quarantine at home, even if you have a negative test result. Please observe this quarantine period meticulously. After 5 days, you can get tested again and stop quarantine if the test result is negative. Please carefully look up which situation applies to you, and consider that regulations may change on short notice.

As from 23 January for the duration of one month, travel will be further restricted with a ban on passenger flights from specific countries including the UK, South Africa and many countries in South America. The government website also mentions a ban on entry to the Netherlands for students; please be aware that this only applies for short visits of people without residence permits. If you currently have a valid residence permit related to your enrolment at LUC, you are not affected by this and can travel to the Netherlands, as long as you can show the necessary test results and are not flying from one of the countries mentioned in the list. 

Coronavirus Variants

Several variants of the corona virus that are more contagious are currently spreading in the Netherlands. Moreover, these variants are already the dominant virus in several other countries, increasing the risk that someone will bring the variant back to AvB from abroad.

It is now more important than ever to observe the corona measures in place. Most importantly: when coming from abroad, observe a strict quarantine for 10 days; strictly limit the number of people you are meeting; keep at least 1.5m distance to all people at all times; avoid meeting in groups in the common rooms; wear a facemask while moving inside the college building; do not go out on the street with more than one other person. The full list of measures can be found here.

Testing

Get tested immediately when you have symptoms, or when someone in your vicinity has covid-19. More information about testing can be found here. Students who test positive should report this to LUC using this form. Staff should inform their supervisor. 

Hang in there!

The current situation is again putting our resilience individually and as a community to the test. Hang in there, we will also overcome this period together. Keep an eye out for each other. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to the Student Life Counselors Mariya and Antony if you feel overwhelmed or need support, or to the Study Advisors, Student Life Officer or other members of staff if you need anything. We are there for you.