Dozens of new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Beijing, and the government has published strict measures in response. Education is going back to online teaching, travel is permitted only in emergencies, and no one is allowed into or out of the city without having taken a corona test.

Schools and universities that have only just opened must close again. Gyms and theatres have also been closed. Libraries and museums must limit the number of visitors.

Berlin

Closer to home, in Berlin, there has also been another outbreak. For a few residential blocks, which house hundreds of residents, quarantine measures are in force.

In Dutch higher education, full lecture halls are prohibited for the time being and, ideally, students will not use public transport during peak times or only rarely. But the hope is that lesson times can be extended based on careful scheduling.

That said, schools of applied sciences and universities will be well advised to prepare for the return of the virus. These reports from Beijing and Berlin make clear that the virus can flare up again just like that.

Over eight million cases have been confirmed around the world - more than two million of them in the United States.