Corona pandemic: municipalities reduce hope for rapid tests

Many hope that rapid population tests will return to normal. Municipalities and doctors, however, warn against exaggerated expectations: As with vaccines, initially only certain groups could benefit.

Municipalities and doctors warn of the free rapid tests announced by the federal government against too high expectations in the population.

It should not be believed that “as of March 1, a large number of rapid tests will be available everywhere for all rapid tests,” said the executive director of the Association of Cities and Towns, Gerd Landsberg, the group’s newspapers Funke media.

“A gigantic task”

The start of vaccination showed that organization and distribution “is a gigantic task for many millions of people at the same time,” Landsberg said. Therefore, he called for a “step-by-step approach”. If rapid tests are not yet available in sufficient numbers, they should initially be used in daycare centers and schools.

In principle, Landsberg welcomed the federal government’s intention to make rapid tests available to citizens free of charge from March. “This is an important sign of hope to open up prospects, not only for schools and daycare centers, but also for retail, culture, hotels and restaurants,” Landsberg said.

Doctors demand strategy and rules

The president of the Federal Association of Physicians in the Public Health Service, Ute Teichert, told the Funke media group that “simply offering a lot of free tests” would not help fight the pandemic. You need “a clear strategy and rules.” There are unanswered questions, such as how those who “find a positive result” should behave.

Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) had announced that as of March 1, all citizens should be able to get tested for the corona virus by trained personnel free of charge.

Result in 15 minutes

Based on this, free rapid tests are planned at testing centers, doctor’s offices and pharmacies, with which a result can be obtained in about 15 minutes.