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Virologist Christian Drosten spoke on a podcast in favor of a temporary lockdown. That would have several advantages.
Virologist Christian Drosten has spoken out in favor of a temporary closure. “If the burden becomes too great, then you have to take a break,” said the Charité scientist in the “Coronavirus Update” episode published Tuesday by NDR-Info. “You can’t trade this virus. This virus just forces a lockdown when a certain number of cases occur.”
For the moment, the incidence in Germany remains comparatively low. “If we hit the brakes now, it would have a very lasting effect. That would save us a lot of time.”
Drosten for a temporary block
Drosten described the advantage of a temporary closure, which, for example, could also make exceptions like open schools: “Everyone knows up front that they have a limited time.” From a scientist’s point of view, this takes about three weeks, slightly longer than a quarantine period. “The incidence is then reduced considerably and then also reduced in the long term under certain circumstances.”
That is a victory for everyone. These planned mini-locks, also known as circuit breakers, are already in operation in some parts of Britain. They are supposed to protect the system from overloads. A sort of schedule through spring with and without constraints is conceivable for the economy to plan like a truck going down a hill. If you put the brakes on five seconds early, that’s enough for a long time. You may not have to brake so hard and hard.
Rapid corona tests in groups
The virologist also advocated for rapid tests to detect infections in groups of people. If an infected person was previously in the office, for example, everyone should do a rapid antigen test there, “and in 15 minutes we’ll know if we have a group here or not,” he said. “Then we isolate the whole group.” This goes faster than the common PCR test previously, whose result takes days. But it will certainly take some time to make these decisions for a mission of this type in Germany, “and I have the feeling that we have less and less time.”
According to a YouGov poll commissioned by the German Press Agency, nearly two-thirds of citizens expect shops, restaurants or schools to close again due to the sharp increase in the number of infections. On Wednesday, Chancellor Angela Merkel will consult with state prime ministers on measures to contain the coronavirus.
