Scientists see opportunities to end crown lockdown

WScientists and companies see an opportunity to end the lockdown through massive antigen testing. At the beginning of March, up to 30 different corona tests will be released, with which everyone can test themselves in fifteen minutes. Marburg researchers propose to the FAS a computer system with which citizens can test themselves before going to a restaurant, concert or hairdresser to receive a digital pass.

Vaccinated and immune people received permanent permits. Kai Nagel of the Technical University of Berlin, who calculates computer simulations of the infection process for the federal government, considers such considerations to be “plausible.” If the tests were able to isolate 90 percent of all infected people, there would be “no more relevant infection events.” Cologne virologist Florian Klein says: “The validity of a test should only be one day.”

Companies are convinced by the tests

He could imagine restaurants opening under strict conditions. “In a restaurant with a good hygiene concept, that would be a possibility.” If self-tests are adequate to combat pandemics, Munich administrative attorney Martin Burgi sees the federal government forced to promote this softer medium. “Politicians have an obligation to promote smart solutions and cannot always limit themselves to tightening regulatory measures.”

Retail chains such as Peek & Cloppenburg and Woolworth praise the considerations. We welcome “basically the ideas that get us back a little bit more quickly,” Peek & Cloppenburg said. “We see the use of antigen self-tests as another good way to act responsibly and end the current lockdown together,” said Woolworth.

The TUI tour operator reports good experiences with the tests. Anyone booking a cruise or vacation in Spain must have a negative PCR test. Tourists even conducted these tests themselves under video guidance. “That is working. It becomes even easier with good antigen tests. We hope these tests will be widely used for travel this summer,” said a spokesperson.

A group of midsize companies that operate almost half of all cinemas in Germany under brands like Kinopolis and Cineplex is currently demanding closure. One of the spokesmen, Hans-Joachim Flebbe, believes that freedom is a good interim solution. “Testing can restore confidence that no one will be infected in the theater.”

Freestyle for restaurants and clubs

Restaurateurs and hoteliers also hope to receive guests with negative test results soon. In Hamburg, Axel Strehlitz, who runs the St. Pauli Clubhouse and the Udo Lindenberg Museum, has developed an app together with an IT entrepreneur. You should be able to assign test results to people in a tamper-proof manner and give them access to the bars for up to 36 hours. “We finished it last September,” says Strehlitz.

The Hamburg health authority did not approve the concept. Strehlitz believes that the new methods could reduce the cost of a test to less than 10 euros. So free time is also interesting for a single visit to a restaurant or club. As soon as there is a political decision, something like this can be implemented quickly, says Marcus Bernhard, CEO of the Deutsche Hospitality hotel group, which includes Steigenberger hotels. “Personally, I think the use of rapid tests is a more practicable and quicker solution to implement than the detection of a vaccine.”

In the management of Frankfurter Messe, the world’s largest trade fair organizer, rapid tests are considered feasible for all visitors. “We could organize that,” says Iris Jeglitza-Moshage.

Suitable rooms may also be available on site in front of the entrance for quick tests. Together with the professional handball, ice hockey and basketball leagues, with cultural and catering associations, the German Football League tries to create a monitoring system with an interface with the health authorities. Evidence of a negative corona test could be built into this solution, depending on the associations involved.

The great unknown remains the spread of mutations. “The variants of the virus that are now emerging, unfortunately, pose a great danger that it will be more difficult to control the infection process,” says virologist Klein. In Britain, for example, the government advises against holiday planning and wants to wait calmly, even though one in four adults is vaccinated with the first dose. A new, possibly even more contagious, variant of the Bristol virus, which is a mutation of variant B.1.1.7, is causing concern. According to British researchers, the vaccines prevent severe courses even in the Bristol variant.

Mobility researcher Nagel considers the danger posed by B.1.1.7 manageable. “At the moment, our simulations say that the B.1.1.7 mutation can still be controlled with current measurements. As long as people are so careful. “