In view of the omicron wave and chronically overloaded health authorities, Berlin’s Governing Mayor Franziska Giffey is pushing for new rules for contact tracing after confirmed corona infections.
“With incidences of around 1000 in some areas of the city and beyond, it is necessary to look at the form in which contact tracing can also work with new approaches,” said the SPD politician on Tuesday after a Senate session.
It must be clarified at which points contact tracing still makes sense so that health authorities can “work more focused” and be relieved. “And it’s important that there’s a federal debate on this,” Giffey said.
Because uniform regulations make sense here. Giffey emphasized that she will therefore address the issue at the next Prime Ministers’ Conference (MPK) next Monday (January 24).
Qualified rapid tests are intended to replace PCR tests
There she also wants to discuss uniform rules with her state colleagues and the federal government as to which corona test will be necessary at which point in the future. According to Giffey and Health Senator Ulrike Gote (Greens), Berlin wants to ensure that qualified rapid tests replace PCR tests where it makes sense and is possible.
This should apply, for example, to free testing from isolation for infected people and from quarantine for contact persons. A PCR test should only be required for employees in the healthcare sector and people over 60.
In an application made by Berlin for the Conference of Health Ministers (GMK), which became known on Monday, there is also talk of dispensing with a PCR test as confirmation for people with a symptom-free corona infection after a positive rapid test.
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Even if the Corona-Warn-App turns red, only a quick test should be carried out in the future. The background to the initiative is primarily laboratory capacities, which are reaching their limits due to the increased need for tests.
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