BRK closes corona test stations in the Weilheim-Schongau district - where you can still be tested now

A new regulation in terms of corona tests was now the knockout criterion for the BRK in the Weilheim Schongau district.

The test stations will close from Saturday.

District - Even now that many people have already been vaccinated against the corona virus, there are still situations in which a rapid test is required. From tomorrow, Saturday, however, all test stations in the district that are organized by the Bavarian Red Cross (BRK) will be closed, reports district manager Hans Eberl. The stations in the Weilheim indoor swimming pool, the BRK house in Schongau and the Penzberg town hall are affected.

The Bavarian corona test station of the district at the Weilheimer Stadthalle continues to offer PCR tests and rapid tests. Apart from that, with the closure of the BRK stations, the pharmacies are the best way to get a rapid corona test. According to information from the German Pharmacy Association, the St. Ulrich pharmacy and the sun pharmacy in Peißenberg continue to offer rapid tests in the district. In addition, the test station in Oderding, organized by the Karwendel pharmacy in Weilheim, is still open. The Marien-Apotheke, the Brunnen-Apotheke and the Kreuz-Apotheke in Schongau as well as the Markt-Apotheke in Peiting are also available for quick tests. Sometimes it is also possible to get the tests in general practitioners' practices. In Penzberg, after the ward at the town hall closes, apart from general practitioners,no further test options for the time being.

Corona tests: organizational effort and constantly changing regulations

The organization around the tests is not always easy with the constantly changing regulations.

"So much is changing now, you need a lot of stamina right now," explains Nina Hasenbalg from the Karwendel pharmacy in Weilheim.

A new regulation was also the main reason for the decision of the BRK to close its centers: "Our knockout criterion was that we could not feed our software into the Corona warning app," says district manager Eberl.

Such a feed must be possible from August 1st.

The BRK would have had to carry out a complete software change in order to remain compliant with the rules.

"I can't do that, especially not if everything changes again in four weeks," said Eberl.

However, there is still demand for corona rapid tests in the district.

The main reason for the tests is tourism, says Philipp Kircher, owner of the St. Ulrich pharmacy in Peißenberg.

Kircher also reports that some citizens “come regularly, for whom we want to keep the test center open”.

These are mainly people who regularly visit hospitals or old people's homes, for which a negative test result is still required.

Corona tests: Demand could become too much for pharmacies

Sylvia Hirschvogel from Markt-Apotheke Peiting is certain: "We will still have testing."

The costs of the tests also play a role here.

"The remuneration has been reduced by 50 percent," said Hasenbalg.

And that, although now on weekends a rush for vacationers can be expected again and again.

HANNAH BECK