Bavarian test debacle: tens of thousands without results

Christiane Fux studied journalism and psychology in Hamburg. The experienced medical editor has been writing magazine articles, news and factual texts on all conceivable health topics since 2001. In addition to her work for, Christiane Fux is also active in prose. Her first crime novel was published in 2012, and she also writes, designs and publishes her own crime plays.

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It is an embarrassing and dangerous mishap: tens of thousands of travelers returning to Bavaria have taken advantage of the offer to test for SARS-CoV2 - but 44,000 test results have not yet been transmitted - including around 900 with positive corona results. Quarantine is mandatory until the test result is negative, but those who do not adhere to it could have infected other people in the meantime.

Transmission still on Thursday?

As the Bavarian State Ministry announced, all outstanding findings are to be transmitted in the course of Thursday. "There are phone calls, people are informed," said a ministry spokesman. "We are doing everything we can to make it happen and we are confident that we can do it."

Bavaria's Minister of Health Melanie Huml has meanwhile offered Prime Minister Markus Söder to resign - but the latter refused. "I still have faith in her," said Söder. Huml wanted to "wipe out the notch".

Bavarian health department "not available"

It is precisely in this situation that the citizens' telephone of the Bavarian State Office for Health and Food Safety (LGL) cannot be reached. The Corona hotline was not manned "for organizational reasons" and could only be reached again on Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., according to an automatic announcement on Thursday morning. The state office is the first place in Bavaria for corona tests and all related questions.

Söder had pushed forward nationwide with the announcement of the test stations on motorways. The state government and the authorities initially underestimated how many people actually want to be tested at the motorway stations.

Manual capture

The Bavarian Red Cross (BRK) announced that the Bavarian aid organizations had been commissioned by the Free State to set up five test stations within one day. However, no software was made available for this, so the travelers had to be entered manually using forms.

Problems not only in Bavaria?

According to the German Foundation for Patient Protection, there are not only indications of sluggish or missing information after corona tests from Bavaria. It is uncertain “whether the feedback of the test results does not work only in Bavaria,” said Foundation Board Member Eugen Brysch on Thursday of the German Press Agency in Berlin.

The Hamburg Senator for Social Affairs Melanie Leonhard (SPD) reminded of the quarantine obligation for travelers returning from risk areas. The fact that it sometimes takes several days for a result to be available cannot be avoided, she said on Thursday.

Quarantine only lifted with a negative test result

“We also want the results to be correct and to reach the right person.” That is why it could take time. It is also important: “The quarantine is not lifted with the test, but the quarantine is lifted with the delivery of the negative test result. It doesn't matter how long it takes. "

In Bavaria, all travelers have been able to have themselves tested voluntarily on arrival at Munich and Nuremberg airports since July 25, and since July 30 also at the main train stations in Munich and Nuremberg and at the Hochfelln-Nord (A8), Inntal-Ost motorway service stations (A93) and Danube Valley East (A3). There were delays at these stations in particular.

Those returning from the Balkans are particularly often infected

In addition, a test center was set up at Memmingen Airport at the beginning of August. For holidaymakers from risk areas, a nationwide test has been in effect since Saturday. Initial surveys show that primarily returnees from Kosovo bring the virus with them, followed by returnees from Turkey, Croatia, Serbia and Bulgaria.

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