A Trinity student, who travelled with Dublin University Surf Club on their trip to Fuerteventura last week, has tested positive for COVID-19, the club announced tonight.
The student is the fifth person in Trinity to contract the virus.
The surf club made the announcement on Instagram tonight, and advised anyone who went on the trip to quarantine themselves for 14 days.
“We wish everyone the best wishes and luck in recovering from, or steering clear of this virus”, the statement read.
Yesterday, the College announced that two more students had contracted the virus, bringing the total number of cases associated with Trinity to four.
The College is no longer giving details of every student who tests positive “unless there are exceptional circumstances”, the website states.
Campus is currently accessible to residents, staff members and some postgraduate students, after Taoiseach Leo Varadkar announced on Thursday that all of Ireland’s college and schools are to shut until March 29th.
The announcement came as Ireland battles to stop the spread of the virus. Some 90 cases have been confirmed in the Republic of Ireland.
On Thursday evening, Provost Patrick Prendergast wrote in an email to all staff and students that while the government’s announcement only lasts until March 29th, “it would be wise to allow for the possibility of a longer closure”.
The College Health Centre will remain open, and will “do telephone consultations in most cases”. The student counselling service will also carry out consultations over the phone “for students in distress”.
“Please use both these services judiciously as demand is strong”, Prendergast wrote.
Today, The University Times reported that SIPTU is calling on Trinity to row back on its decision to call catering and housekeeping staff into College, arguing there is no “credible justification” for keeping them in work after the closure of the College on Friday.
In a letter sent to the College on Friday morning, obtained by The University Times, Karl Byrne, SITPU’s higher education sector organiser, referenced a directive from the Department of Education he said “clearly states that Higher Education Institutes are closed for students and only remain open for on line delivery or essential services such as pay roll”.
“In light of the unprecedented Health Crisis all other staff are being asked to work from home in order to reduce social interactions”, Byrne added.
“There can be no credible justification”, he said, for classifying housekeeping, catering and other general operative-related grades “as ‘essential services’ in the midst of this Health Crisis”.
