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I’ve been working at home since Thursday, that’s not unusual for a journalist, since the corona pandemic outbreak, many of my colleagues have been working from home. For me, however, the case is a bit special: I am voluntarily at headquarters, but should actually be in quarantine. Because I recently had contact with a person who tested positive for coronavirus. So far, no one from the contact tracing center has called me and quarantined me; This case shows what contact trackers overload really means.
Thomas S. (name changed) is a young handball player who plays on the one hand with the second team of HSC Suhr Aarau in the 2nd division and on the other hand with HSG Siggenthal in the 1st division. I am a coach at HSC II, last Saturday we had a championship match against TV Muri. Thomas S. was present at this match, also on Sunday when HSG Siggenthal played against Kloten in the first division.
Teams are voluntarily quarantined
He played well in both games and contributed to the fact that the HSC 2nd Division Team and the Siggenthal 1st Division Team won their games. On Monday, Thomas felt mild symptoms indicating possible Covid disease. On Tuesday she had her GP examined, on Wednesday morning she informed Thomas of the result: positive. Soon after, the player contacted me and informed me about it. Additionally, Thomas also informed Siggenthal’s trainer that he had tested positive for Covid.
The player’s family doctor reported the positive results to the canton, I informed my handball team and ordered all players to isolate themselves. I also informed our opponent’s coach last Saturday, and then contacted the TV Muri office.
Quickly delivered contact person list
We adhere to the protection concepts of the handball association, we observe the requirements in individual game and training rooms, of course we wear masks off the field on Saturday, but handball is a contact sport, and if a player is infected , there is a certain probability that other members of the team may also get infected.
On Wednesday, shortly after the positive test result, I put together an updated list with the contact details of all the players who attended Saturday’s game. Siggenthal’s trainer did the same, Thomas sent the two lists to the canton by email. Since then we have been waiting; Until now, the Contact Tracing Center has not contacted its contact persons.
The doctor gives information other than the hotline
Siggenthal’s coach called the canton’s hotline on Wednesday and after several attempts received the information that all the players and coaches who were in the cloakroom with Thomas would have to be quarantined. Therefore, we hoped that a quarantine order from the canton would arrive soon.
Thomas’s GP called me Wednesday night and asked if we needed help. I asked him who, from his point of view, should be quarantined, his answer: all the players who trained and played with him, but not the coaches because the contact was not close enough for an infection. But contact tracing had to decide this, the doctor said, asking if we had heard anything from the canton.
I replied that they had not contacted us yet, which was around the same time the canton sent out their press release that contact tracing was overloaded. The message said it was possible that infected people could only be contacted with a delay. Contact trackers would treat serious cases or priority individuals working in healthcare, school or social care institutions.
Contact Search Center: “Who is the person who tested positive?”
That is quite understandable and understandable; after all, Thomas is a 19-year-old athlete who is not in the risk group. So far he is healthy too, currently he only has a little headache and a slight cold. Even today, two days after the positive test, we still have not received a quarantine order from Contact Tracing. We continue to believe that isolating the players from the two teams is the right thing to do. We have postponed the next games for the weekend; this can also be done without a decree from the canton, the handball association is very accommodating in such cases.
Thomas S. received an email from the Contact Tracking Center on Friday morning in response to the two lists of teams with their contact persons that he had sent. “Could you tell us the name of the person who tested positive?” Thomas immediately responded that, of course, he had tested positive himself, as his family doctor had already reported on Wednesday. So far, it has received no further comments from the canton.
Lack of elimination is difficult for employees.
For me the situation is relatively simple, I can work from home. But there are several players on my team who do not have office jobs. The situation is difficult for you: you are going to quarantine because Thomas S. is positive, that is correct to prevent the virus from spreading. But there is no canton order ordering a quarantine; This is difficult according to labor law, because players cannot present anything to their boss to justify their absence.
The specific case shows: In the current situation with high infection rates and overloaded contact tracing, the principle of hope rules twice. First of all, it is the hope that a person who has tested positive will quickly report back to their contacts on their own and that they are sensitive enough to voluntarily isolate themselves. It is then expected that in this situation employers will find the necessary understanding that an employee will be absent for ten days even without a quarantine order.
