Post by account_disabled on Feb 22, 2024 5:06:45 GMT -5
Germany wants to eliminate the coronavirus tests - until now mandatory and free - that it carried out on all travelers returning to the country , a measure that it introduced at the beginning of the month to stop outbreaks and defend itself against possible infections contracted abroad , as confirmed. its Health Minister, Jens Spahn, citing laboratory capacity limitations. These free tests were introduced in the first week of August after new coronavirus cases surpassed the 1,000-a-day threshold for the first time since May , fueling fears of a second wave and as a firewall to prevent massive resurgences, such as It is happening in Spain . However, the free provision of PCR has been criticized by some health professionals for being ineffective, with some holidaymakers who had tested negative at airports returning positive results several days later .
In turn, problems related to lack of personnel and equipment have contributed to the discredit of the measure. Read more: 5 key differences between Germany and Spain's strategy to stop outbreaks For now, the Government led by Angela Merkel will maintain a rule that requires travelers returning from areas that Germany considers to be hot spots to quarantine Lithuania Mobile Number List for 14 days , although it can be lifted at the earliest after 5 days after giving a negative result. in the tests. Spahn highlights, however, that if mandatory testing is eliminated, local authorities will have to intensify surveillance and tracking to ensure that returning tourists respect quarantine rules, something that has not yet borne fruit in examples from neighboring countries. . "This is not an allegation, it is a government order," Spahn warned in statements reported by Reuters . "At a time when the number of new infections in Germany is still low, it is important to prevent the virus from spreading in the country through returning travelers .
Germany is already working on a coronavirus vaccination campaign: risk groups will have priority Thus, many details still need to be finalized, such as whether tests for returnees from risk regions should continue to be free and when the new measures to prevent and trace infections from abroad, as well as the surveillance of possible transfers between regions . The Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the German reference for reporting on the virus and managing contagion data, assures that 42% of recent new cases originate abroad . This Wednesday the institution detailed the tracking of 1,600 new infections, bringing Germany's total to 236,429 , including 9,280 deaths, and returning the country to pre-summer outbreak data.