Trinity College sends students home due to coronavirus

In light of the coronavirus outbreak, Trinity College is the first Cambridge College to send its students home for the Easter holidays.

In an email sent today (13th March) by the Junior Bursar, Edward Knapp, and the Senior Tutor Catherine Barnard, all home and international undergraduate students are being told to go home for Easter.

Exceptions to this rule include estranged students and care leavers, anyone already in self-isolation, or students who would be travelling to countries against government travel advice. These students must obtain permission from their tutor to remain in college during the holidays, with students in financial difficulty should also advised to seek support from their tutors.

Self-isolating students are told to make their own arrangements as the college has ‘a very limited capacity’ to provide additional facilities ‘in the event of large-scale self-isolation’, and any student self-isolating must inform a dedicated mailbox for coronavirus enquiries and concerns.  They should also place a sign on their door, indicating that they are self-isolating.

The cleaning of college will also be affected as cleaners are focusing on communal areas and key risk areas such as door handles, and no individual room cleaning will occur.

Trinity College is not taking any new bookings for guest rooms, students are reminded not to have guests in their rooms, and all visitors to college must not have a raised temperature or cough. All college events are cancelled until the end of March.

In comparison, an email from the senior tutor at Pembroke has stated that the college is ‘committed to offering [you] support in-college’, if students do not want to or are unable to travel home, and advise students to consider their travel plans carefully.

Emmanuel College has provided online resources for students concerned about COVID-19, especially in relation to mental health. They have also committed to providing accommodation for those who need to stay in college, and advised students against misinformation.