– Student Generalization – NRK Vestland

On Monday, 19 large cases of infection were confirmed at the Norwegian School of Management in Bergen. There are currently a total of 58 cases of infection in the school.

The infection in the student community has meant that the municipality is now taking steps to stop the outbreak.

The municipality asks all students who have participated in a party or other social gathering where contagion control measures have not been complied with, to go into self-imposed quarantine for 10 days since the event occurred.

The call applies to all city students on campus.

– It gets too confusing

On the other Bergen campuses, there are mixed reactions to the municipality’s recommendation to quarantine.

University of Bergen student leader Sandra Krumsvik believes the municipality’s encouragement puts students in a difficult situation.

– I think it is too confusing that the students themselves should judge whether they have been in a quarantine situation. It would have been easier if institutions, for example, had been told that all teaching should take place digitally, than that students themselves should consider whether they should attend teaching, says Krumsvik.

The student leader reacts to what she perceives as a generalization of the students, and highlights that as of Monday, only 12 of the more than 19,000 students at the university have been diagnosed with coronary heart disease after starting their studies.

– This will greatly affect both the daily study and the learning environment, says Krumsvik.

Ask students to correct themselves

The president of the student council of the University College of Western Norway, Henrik Waage Tjore, hopes that the university students will follow the recommendation of the municipality.

– I perceive it as a clear and distinct message from the municipality. We should be able to demand that students take note of this, says Tjore.

In general, Tjore believes that it is important to distinguish between the regular student and students who have participated in parties where infection control has not been observed.

As of August 28, a total of 26 university students had been confirmed to be infected with COVID-19.

– It does not seem that this outbreak has spread, but it is important that we are on alert and continue with infection control measures, says Tjore.

– A joint charity

The president of the BI Norwegian Business School student association in Bergen, Benjamin Kiil, says that the student administration will encourage all students at the school to follow the recommendation.

– This is a joint charity where people should contribute where they can, says Kiil.

He adds that most of the IB teaching is already done digitally, but that the stimulus from the municipality will affect school attendance.

Four BI students in Bergen tested positive after the start of their studies and 20 students were quarantined.

According to Kiil, there have been no social events under the auspices of the school in the last ten days that are covered by the recommendation of the municipality.

Several infected after the party

On Monday, NHH opened for crowning tryouts on the school grounds. More than 300 students underwent coronary heart disease testing during the afternoon and evening.

The response to the tests carried out today is expected in 48 hours.

Bergens Tidende writes that the outbreak may have originated at a party the students’ association held in the basement of the school on Monday last week.

Then 45 students from the club and the NHH culture committee had a meeting in the basement of the school.

– Several of those who participated were later diagnosed with coronary heart disease, says information manager Thomas Garås Gulli, the Norwegian School of Administration (NHHS) Student Association.

– It really should be a sober event, but I guess everyone who participated drank alcohol, says Gulli.

The students who participated are a mix of all age groups. This means that they are distributed throughout the student body.

– Probably contributed

Infection control doctor Karina Koller Løland told the newspaper that the municipality is familiar with the party.

– Last Monday’s meeting probably contributed.

Students Jesper Rugland and Erik Grødem were in a test queue on Monday. Classmates say they are not very surprised by the outbreak at school.

– Not really. When you get together for a bit at events and parties, it becomes contagious, says Rugland.

– But it’s a bit scary to see how fast it spreads when you’ve been infected, says Grødem.