The lockdown may have started today, but there was still quite some activity on campus, because most measures related to education will not take effect until tomorrow. Students are upset. ‘I can concentrate better in the University Library than at home.’

It’s the talk of the town: the lockdown. Two students in the lounge of the Central Library discuss it in detail. They are upset that just now – with important deadlines approaching – things close again. But otherwise it is business as usual in the study halls on campus. A large number of the student work places in the University Library are occupied. Also in the Law library and in the study landscape in the Elinor Ostrom building, quite some students got their noses in a book.

‘Actually, nothing has changed yet’, a business administration student in the Central Library concludes. ‘The rules are the same as in recent months, everyone wears a face mask and keeps their distance.’ The reason she came to study today despite the urgent call from Mark Rutte to stay at home as much as possible is simple: ‘Here, I can concentrate better than at home. My housemates are there all day, and I get easily distracted. ”

Locked

Starting tomorrow, however, the campus will look different: the hard lockdown announced by the prime minister on Monday evening will lead to the university grounds being virtually closed again (see box), comparable to last spring.

Some of the measures at Radboud University already apply from today. At Radboud Sports Center (RSC), for example, only the HAN sports lessons take place inside, because they fall within the exception of education. Outside, the tennis courts, running track and fitness area are still in use. Those three are the only accomodations that will remain open over the next weeks, according to Pieter Smits, head of the sports facilitating department. The RSC is going to facilitate online classes by means of livestreams as well.

The measures regarding education will not take effect until Wednesday. From that day on, all student work places on campus can only be reserved by students who really cannot study at home and are vulnerable, for example because they have personal problems. ‘It would be a shame if the University Library closes again’, says the business administration student. ‘But things are the way they are. I might go studying at my parents’ house then.’

 Grab-and-go

The Refter’s grab-and-go take-away service will remain open, as will other collection points where coffee and sandwiches can be purchased. ‘It is no longer possible to make a reservation for a lunch spot’, Rens Janssen of Facilities and Services says. ‘The existing student work places in the Refter can still be reserved however.”

The SPAR is also still open, which was not the case during last spring’s lockdown. The supermarket is one of the ‘essential stores’ that are exempt from closure. Whether the campus shop will also remain open when the university grounds are soon closed – and thus hardly anyone is on campus anymore – the SPAR employees cannot say yet.

Update 17 December: a previous version of this article mentioned that only the Central Library would have study work places. This has been corrected.