Federal Labor Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD) is serious: Despite resistance from the economy, companies should provide their employees with corona tests in the future.
Berlin - Many companies have offered their employees voluntary corona tests.
But that's not enough for the federal government.
Corresponding examinations should therefore become mandatory in the future.
The companies should provide their employees with at least one test offer per week.
After all: the also controversial documentation requirement is off the table.
What companies now have to adjust to, who pays for the tests, what total costs will be incurred by the German economy.
The most important questions and answers at a glance:
Corona test obligation in Germany: What is the federal government planning specifically?
According to the draft by Labor Minister Hubertus Heil, all employees who are not in the home office should have the right to one Corona * test per week.
Anyone who has frequent customer contact or who lives in shared accommodation should be entitled to two tests.
Test obligation: What should the corona tests bring and is one test per week sufficient?
The quick or self-tests are intended to help detect corona infected people who do not yet feel any clear symptoms.
From a scientific point of view, however, they cannot fundamentally rule out an infection.
Even when used correctly, a negative test is "just less likely" to be contagious to others, explains the Robert Koch Institute.
Especially with infected people without symptoms there is a risk of false-negative results.
However, it is unclear whether you are then contagious to others or not.
Scientists also point out that the tests are just snapshots.
The test results are only meaningful for about a day.
Many people therefore doubt whether a weekly test in the office is sufficient.
What does compulsory testing mean for companies?
Employers should make the tests available to all employees who do not work in the home office.
However, they do not have to document that their employees are actually using the tests.
It would therefore be sufficient to simply send self-tests home to employees or to deposit self-tests in the office so that they are accessible to everyone.
Who pays for the tests?
Federal Finance Minister Olaf Scholz (SPD) sees the economy as an obligation.
"This is now a national effort and everyone has to participate," he said on Tuesday morning on "Deutschlandfunk".
In contrast, the President of the Munich Ifo Institute, Prof. Clemens Fuest, spoke to Merkur.de * about a “flat-rate allowance per employee”.
This would mean that companies and taxpayers would share the costs.
But Scholz rejects that.
Instead, companies can claim the costs through Bridging Aid III.
What do the tests cost the economy as a whole?
The CDU Economic Council expects the tests to cost German companies more than seven billion euros a month.
Some small and medium-sized businesses couldn't afford the hassle.
How many companies are testing already?
According to a survey commissioned by the federal government, 61 percent of employees recently had an employer who offers corona tests.
Other employers had promised the employees tests.
If you add this group, around 70 percent of employees received a test offer or at least it was announced to them.
The federal government does not consider this to be sufficient and has so far given 90 percent as the target.
Test obligation: how do German companies get the corona tests?
The economy sees a problem here so far.
In a letter to the Chancellery, the large associations emphasized that every third company reported difficulties with availability.
The federal and state governments have already reserved many of the tests on the market for students.
The associations are therefore calling for tests from unused contingents to be made available to companies at low cost.
Vice Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) stressed in the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” at the weekend: “There are now enough tests available on the market.
But you have to take care of it.
If you are just starting to get offers, you will probably need a lead time of two or three weeks.
But nothing more. "
What does the economy say about compulsory testing?
Business associations are anything but enthusiastic about compulsory testing.
BDA managing director Steffen Kampeter speaks of a "declaration of no confidence in the company and its employees".
The obligation to test discredits the voluntary commitment of companies.
"We are convinced that the economy, which we all are after all, should always be part of a problem-solving process," he emphasized.
Corona test obligation: How high is the risk of infection in the office?
Leading aerosol researchers from Germany emphasize that Sars-CoV-2 is almost exclusively transmitted indoors. Accordingly, you can become infected not only when you meet an infected person directly, but also in an empty, poorly ventilated room in which an infected person was previously. Berlin mobility researchers are therefore demanding that multi-person offices can only be entered with a valid rapid test or after vaccination - or everyone would have to wear an FFP2 mask. The federal government wants to at least extend the obligation to allow employees to work from home wherever possible.
(dpa / utz) * Merkur.de is part of IPPEN.MEDIA.