Tübingen Model: A city tests itself freely

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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The university town of Tübingen has started a much-noticed model project to deal with the pandemic: Anyone who can show a negative rapid test can go to the cinema or visit an exhibition, have an outdoor restaurant and shop in the city center without an appointment.

Visits to the hairdresser and cosmetic treatments are only possible with a negative test. Test tents have been set up in front of the city's theater for visitors to the first performances for months. Hotels, on the other hand, remain closed.

"Open with security"

“Open with security” is the motto of the strategy. To this end, the city has set up test stations for free quick tests at eight locations in the city center. If the test result is negative, you will receive a “Tübingen day ticket” in your own name. It confirms the negative test result with a signature and is valid for the whole day.

Schools, kindergartens and large companies such as the university can also test and issue day tickets.

The distance and hygiene rules must, however, still be observed. In addition, the contact details of the guests are recorded. In closed rooms, staff and guests must wear a medical mask or an FFP2 mask.

An example for the republic?

In this way, the city wants to loosen up despite rising incidence values ​​nationwide.If that works, it could be an example for the republic. However, on March 13, 2021, Tübingen was far below the national average with an incidence of less than 35.

In the meantime, the numbers have risen again here as well. In the district, however, the easing will be from 23.03. withdrawn - the incidence was most recently above the threshold of 50 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants. The experiment in the city is initially excluded from this.

In future, day passes only for district residents

So that the virus is not brought in en masse from districts with high incidence rates, Tübingen's Mayor Boris Palmer (Greens) has already announced that day passes will be restricted to residents of the district in the future.

“That means that we would then no longer make the tests available to the guests from outside, so that they would not meet the requirements to take advantage of our offers,” said Palmer on Monday on Deutschlandfunk.

Better through the third wave?

The experiment should run until April 3 - then a balance sheet will be drawn. Palmer hopes "we can get through the next three weeks better than circles that have just closed up. And if we do better testing and opening than not testing and closing, we'll have learned something that we can do for the whole country." can use ", said the mayor in an interview with Deutsche Welle.

Should one become the district with the highest incidence despite the testing, the project would be abandoned.

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