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HEALTH

German Health Minister proposes getting rid of mandatory Covid tests for risk zone arrivals

Health Minister Jens Spahn has proposed abolishing mandatory Covid-19 tests for people returning abroad from risk areas – despite the order coming into force earlier this month.

Published: 24 August 2020 16:53 CEST
German Health Minister proposes getting rid of mandatory Covid tests for risk zone arrivals
People waiting for free coronavirus tests at Frankfurt airport on August 15th. Photo: DPA

People arriving in Germany from an area deemed high risk have had to undergo a mandatory coronavirus test free of charge since August 8th.

But Health Minister Jens Spahn now wants to change the testing strategy.

According to a proposal seen by DPA on Monday, Spahn wants to abolish mandatory testing after summer. Authorities say labs are struggling to cope with the extra testing in Germany.

Under the plans drawn up after a meeting between Spahn and state health ministers on Monday, instead of making travellers from high-risk regions undergo a test directly upon entry they will be required to quarantine.

The quarantine can “only be ended by a negative result from a test taken five days after entry at the earliest”, the proposal states.

READ ALSO: Can you be forced to take a coronavirus test after returning to Germany from a risk country?

A spokesman for the Health Ministry said on Monday that laboratories are currently under strain and that it is foreseeable that the system will reach its limits.

“It is also clear that if we run at full load for weeks in this area, we will have problems with materials and personnel,” said the Ministry. Therefore, the test strategy must be adapted accordingly, they said.

According to the spokesperson, around 875,000 coronavirus tests are currently performed each week. The laboratories have a theoretical capacity of around 1.2 million.

The topic of paying for tests has also been discussed in Germany over the previous weeks. However, it remained unclear on Monday whether the new rules will include charging people for tests instead of keeping them free of charge.

READ ALSO: These are the five major coronavirus problems in Germany right now

Germans in favour of mandatory tests

Since the end of July anyone travelling into the country from abroad can get tested for Covid-19 free of charge if they choose.

The mandatory testing order for people turning from risk zones has been in place since Saturday, August 8th.

A large majority of German citizens are in favour of the coronavirus test obligation for travel returnees from risk areas. In a survey published on Monday in Berlin by the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), 91 percent support mandatory tests.

The acceptance of the other rules for the containment of coronavirus also remains at a high level. Distance rules, compulsory masks and the cancellation of events are considered appropriate by more than 85 percent of those surveyed.

Angela Merkel plans to meet with the heads of federal states on Thursday. It is expected that this topic among others will be on the agenda, and decisions will be made on how to proceed.

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HEALTH

Could there be a new wave of Covid-19 in Germany this autumn?

It’s back again: amid sinking temperatures, the incidence of Covid-19 has been slowly rising in Germany. But is this enough to merit worrying about the virus?

Published: 20 September 2023 12:05 CEST
Updated: 20 September 2023 22:22 CEST
Could there be a new wave of Covid-19 in Germany this autumn?

More people donning face masks in supermarkets, friends cancelling plans last minute due to getting sick with Covid-19. We might have seen some of those familiar reminders recently that the coronavirus is still around, but could there really be a resurgence of the virus like we experienced during the pandemic years?

According to virologists, the answer seems to be ‘maybe’: since July, the number of people newly infected with Covid-19 has been slowly rising from a very low level.

According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), nine people per 100,000 inhabitants became newly infected in Germany last week. A year ago, there were only around 270 reported cases.

Various Corona variants are currently on the loose in the country. According to the RKI,  the EG.5 (also called Eris) and XBB.1.16 lines were each detected in the week ending September 3rd with a share of just under 23 percent. 

The highly mutated variant BA.2.86 (Pirola), which is currently under observation by the World Health Organisation (WHO), also arrived in the country this week, according to RKI. 

High number of unreported case

The RKI epidemiologists also warned about a high number of unreported cases since hardly any testing is done. They pointed out that almost half of all registered sewage treatment plants report an increasing viral load in wastewater tests.

The number of hospital admissions has also increased slightly, but are still a far cry from the occupation rate amid the pandemic. Last week it was two per 100,000 inhabitants. In the intensive care units, only 1.2 percent of all beds are occupied by Covid-19 patients.

Still, a good three-quarters (76.4 percent) of people in Germany have been vaccinated at least twice and thus have basic immunity, reported RKI. 

Since Monday, doctors’ offices have been vaccinating with the adapted vaccine from Biontech/Pfizer, available to anyone over 12 years old, with a vaccine for small children set to be released the following week and one for those between 5 and 11 to come out October 2nd.

But Health Minister Karl Lauterbach has so far only recommended that people over 60 and those with pre-existing conditions get vaccinated.

READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: Who should get a Covid jab this autumn in Germany?

“The pandemic is over, the virus remains,” he said. “We cannot predict the course of coming waves of corona, but it is clear that older people and people with pre-existing conditions remain at higher risk of becoming severely ill from Covid-19”

The RKI also recommended that people with a cold voluntarily wear a mask. Anyone exhibiting cough, cold, sore throat or other symptoms of a respiratory illness should voluntarily stay at home for three to five days and take regular corona self-tests. 

However, further measures such as contact restrictions are not necessary, he said.

One of many diseases

As of this autumn, Covid-19 could be one of many respiratory diseases. As with influenza, there are no longer absolute infection figures for coronavirus.

Saarbrücken pharmacist Thorsten Lehr told German broadcaster ZDF that self-protection through vaccinations, wearing a mask and getting tested when symptoms appear are prerequisites for surviving the Covid autumn well. 

Only a new, more aggressive mutation could completely turn the game around, he added.

On April 7th of this year, Germany removed the last of its over two-year long coronavirus restrictions, including mask-wearing in some public places.

READ ALSO: German doctors recommend Covid-19 self-tests amid new variant

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