Three more cases of coronavirus reported in Trinity community

This brings the total number of Covid-19 cases in Trinity to eight

Three more cases of coronavirus have been confirmed among Trinity staff and students, bringing the total number of Covid-19 cases in Trinity to eight.

The three additional cases were listed on Trinity’s website this evening. College said on the website: “We cannot comment on the individual cases within the Trinity student and staff body.”

The first case of the virus in Trinity was confirmed on March 6 and has since recovered, one more was announced on March 12, and an additional two confirmed on March 15.

The fifth Trinity student who tested positive for Covid-19 was announced yesterday. The student was on Trinity Surf Club’s trip to Fuerteventura last week. The club announced the news on their Instagram and said that the student will be self-isolating, adding that the other students who went on the trip must now self-quarantine.

College will no longer be providing email updates on the number of cases of coronavirus among Trinity students “unless there are exceptional circumstances”. Instead, a running tally will be updated on the Trinity website.

Campus is currently closed to all undergraduate students with the exception of those who live on-campus, following the government’s decision to close schools, universities, and cultural institutions.

Access for staff is to continue, while postgraduate students who require access to the campus in order to engage in “critical research projects” are to be admitted if they show they have received permission through email from their supervisors.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar announced closure of universities in response to the coronavirus in a statement to the media in Washington DC on Thursday.

In an email circulated to staff and students shortly after 5pm on Thursday, Provost Patrick Prendergast confirmed that while the government’s decision is in effect until March 29, it “would be wise to allow for the possibility of a longer closure”.

College is also making preparations to replace exams with alternative online assessments.

Aisling Grace

Aisling Grace was the Editor-in-Chief of the 66th Volume of Trinity News. She was also formerly Online Editor and Deputy News Editor.