Test strategy: The great test promise is increasingly becoming a sham

THEOpen-air beer gardens and packed museums, theaters and cinemas – what sounds like a bygone era has been possible again in the Baden-Württemberg university town of Tübingen since Tuesday. Prerequisite: Guests must show a “Tübingen day ticket” before entering. There is after a rapid negative corona test for the same day.

There are six test stations available for this in the city center. As an alternative, rapid tests are also allowed at the respective facilities. The concepts were developed by Tübingen emergency physician Lisa Federle and Mayor Boris Palmer.

Municipalities and local businesses are increasingly taking testing into their own hands, probably out of necessity. Because while the federal and state governments are making slow progress with their large-scale testing strategy, the future of the economy depends on the success of those comprehensive tests.

The chancellor and the heads of country will be advised on new steps to open restaurants, events and hotels next Monday “in light of the infection situation, taking into account the testing strategy that has been initiated.” This is what the latest federal-state resolution says. In early March, the federal government created a “Test Logistics Task Force”, headed by the federal minister of health, Jens Spahn (CDU), and the federal minister of transport, Andreas Scheuer (CSU).

Obviously, not much has happened. When asked about the progress, a spokesman for the Federal Ministry of Transport was vague recently. “Much has been set in motion,” according to a response last week.

It is primarily about determining supply and demand and talking to manufacturers. The aim is to ensure regular operation in schools or in the public sector through regular testing.

However, the task force is not responsible for obtaining the evidence; federal states communicate directly with manufacturers. They could have done it months ago: The first rapid tests hit the market in South Korea a year ago and have been widely available since fall 2020. Instead, there is criticism for Spahn and Scheuer from the federal states and the opposition.

Furthermore, the need for gastronomy tests and other leisure activities cannot really be quantified as business start-ups are not yet allowed. However, Health Minister Spahn was already sure in early March: “With rapid tests, supply now exceeds demand.”

So there are many tests available, but not used where they should be? “According to the manufacturer, 150 million rapid tests are already in the landfill today and can be delivered directly,” said a spokeswoman for the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) last week.

However, the house of Jens Spahn leaves unanswered the question of how many tests the countries have convened. As of early March, the federal government had secured at least 800 million rapid tests through declarations of intent and European framework agreements by 2021, the spokeswoman said. The actual market supply will far exceed this quota.

But it is unclear when and where these tests will be available. A declaration of intent does not guarantee a delivery date, as the federal government had to painfully discover with vaccines. In turn, criticism of Spahn continues from the federal states.

Because there is apparently a lack of agreements, the plan “to allow all residents to have a rapid test twice a week in late June” has not yet worked. In the “Extension of the National Testing Strategy”, one test per week was reduced.

The purpose of the working group is now to help countries “optimize the ordering of tests.” In practice, this has so far meant that countries can order a “starter pack” from the Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche – these are the rapid tests that South Korea used a year ago and are now being marketed by Roche. 15 federal states are said to have ordered according to WELT information. As it became known Wednesday, the task force also negotiated an agreement through so-called self-tests or lay tests with Siemens Healthineers. After negotiations, the federal states can now initially get 8.5 million self-tests per week from this manufacturer and in April eleven million self-tests per week. As the name suggests, they are used by themselves and not by medical personnel.

In addition, the BMG is now studying “establishing an ordering platform so that schools and kindergartens can access rapid tests more easily.” But this is only a “possible option”.

While the federal government is still “monitoring” and “optimizing”, some municipalities have been acting for a long time. In Augustusburg, Saxony, people don’t want to wait any longer: hotels, restaurants and museums will reopen there as part of a “Model Project”.

As in Tübingen, citizens with a negative test result should receive a digital ticket. The district has created a testing center for this. The start was originally scheduled for Friday. Just because the incidence of the place has increased dramatically again recently, the project is on hold for the time being.

Opposition: “The test strategy is a disaster”

Entire industries have also offered their support. “Implementing events in secure areas with proven, non-infectious participants is one of the keys to resuming events industry operations,” says Jens Michow, president of the Federal Association of the Concert and Event Industry (BDKV), WELT. From an industry point of view, the efforts of the federal and state governments do not go far enough.

Michow suggests that companies that have the necessary rooms, the necessary personnel, and professional logistics could be listed as test sites for a long time. For example, its organizers with their spacious rooms.

“We have the relevant concepts on our desktops ready for implementation,” says Michow. “It is incomprehensible to us why politicians have not yet responded to our offers of assistance that have been made numerous times and why they have not accepted our offers of talks.” Federal and state governments could be relieved of duties.

The opposition sees a great lack of planning in the government. “The federal government’s test strategy is a disaster, because apparently it hasn’t had one yet,” said Katrin Helling-Plahr WELT, FDP health policy.

“And that, although more tests are the prerequisite for the long-awaited vacancies.” In his view, a procurement task force should have been set up weeks ago. The ideas of science go back much further: for example, virologist Alexander Kekulé called for a “national effort” in March 2020 for rapid tests.

“The situation is chaotic,” says management consultant Marc Kloepfel. Germany can learn from its neighboring countries: “In Austria a preventive testing system has been in place for weeks,” says Kloepfel, who had already helped the federal government in spring 2020 with the purchase of masks.

“With a national tender for testing in December, Austria negotiated lower purchase prices and also avoided a shortage.” He received no response to his offer of advice, which he sent to various ministries and the Foreign Ministry.

In other places, however, Spahn did not seem reluctant to help the economy, for example, in the restaurant sector. He imagines that guests in front of restaurants could do self-tests in small tents “under supervision.” “Maybe the first drink will be in a small group,” Spahn said at the federal news conference last week.

Apparently, the Minister of Health relies on market economy incentives, if companies are allowed to reopen under the right conditions. “It doesn’t have to be regulated by the federal government or the federal states in detail,” Spahn said. “That will work.”

However, hoteliers and restaurateurs do not see themselves in this role. “It is the policy of the policy to provide sufficient vaccination and testing capabilities,” says Ingrid Hartges, Managing Director of the German Association of Hotels and Restaurants Dehoga, WELT.

“It is not as simple as Jens Spahn imagines it. How is it supposed to work? A self-exam under supervision? Hartges asks. Many restaurants don’t have the space for it. “That is not feasible.” This could only be a solution on a voluntary basis for hotels and events, says the association’s managing director. Instead, the federal government is not doing its homework. “Act now,” says Hartges.

Also in retail it cannot be done without the help of politics. “Verifying every customer for a negative test result would simply not be feasible in practice,” said Stefan Genth, General Manager of the German Trade Association (HDE), WELT.

“Implementing a trial strategy cannot be passed on to retailers alone, it is in the hands of the state.” The industry cannot cope with the task of comprehensive testing and mandatory admission control, either personally or financially, Genth says. . After the month-long lockdown, many operators would already be on the brink of their existence.

In Tübingen, the demand for day tickets is high. The city administration is currently examining whether and how the opening hours of the test stations can be extended. The centers do not open their doors until 9:30 am

“All in Stock” is the daily stock market shot by WELT’s business editorial team. Every morning from 7 am with financial journalists Moritz Seyffarth and Holger Zschäpitz. For stock exchange experts and beginners. Subscribe to the podcast at Spotify, Apple podcast, Amazon Music Y Deezer. Or directly through RSS Feed.