Corona test stations are no longer very popular: the fight against the virus is still going on

Created: 05/14/2022, 16:59

By: Dominik Stallein

Always there in the fight against Corona: The excura test station at Gustavo Gusto © Sabine Hermsdorf-Hiss

In an interview, those responsible for the excura corona test station at Gustavo Gusto in Geretsried take stock.

They also talk about the future of the test station.

Geretsried – At first, cutbacks were the order of the day, now peace has returned to the Corona test station.

The company excura has been open on the Gustavo Gusto site for over a year and has since experienced all the ups and downs of the pandemic.

In an interview with our trainee Dominik Stallein, the managing director Alexandra Dieterich and station manager Anita Kirner talk about erratic politics, the never-ending fight against the virus and the future of the test station.

Anita Kirner, station manager of the Corona test station in Geretsried © Private

Corona test stations are no longer very popular: the fight against the virus is still going on

Ms. Dieterich, Ms. Kirner, for a little over a year you have been experiencing all waves of the corona pandemic in the test station.

Are you enjoying the quiet at the moment?

Dieterich:

The past few months have been a very, very intense phase for us.

I can already enjoy that things are much calmer now.

Kirner

: Oh yes, things are much more relaxed for us at the moment.

Dieterich: We notice that not only in the number of visitors, but also in the mood of the test persons.

They come much more relaxed because they are with us voluntarily and not forced if they want to do something.

With a few exceptions, you hardly need a quick test for any leisure activity anymore.

How many people still come to you?

Dieterich

: Of course it's significantly less than in the peak phases.

But customers keep coming.

Some to be on the safe side, others because you still have to show a negative test – for example when visiting a nursing home.

Kirner

: At the moment we have about a quarter of the rush that we had at peak times, when, for example, unvaccinated people needed proof of a test at work.

We have all learned over the past few months that a pandemic comes in waves.

Right now it's much quieter.

A few months ago, teams of eight made cuts in piecework.

What is the current situation?

Dieterich

: We work in smaller groups, are only working with two or three colleagues at the same time and have reduced our opening times somewhat.

We are still on site six days a week, which is also important to us.

On weekdays, however, it is only open for two hours instead of four, because that serves the demand.

Alexandra Dieterich, Managing Director of the Corona Test Station at Gustavo Gusto © Private

How will visitor numbers develop?

Kirner

: We can assume that the number of test subjects will perhaps be further reduced if the general situation relaxes even more.

Read the latest news from Geretsried here.

The current test regulation ends at the end of June...

Dieterich

: ...until then we will definitely continue to be there for people and to test.

What happens after that?

Dieterich

: I can't answer that right now, it's too early for that.

Nobody can say for sure at the moment whether the test strategy will remain the same, or how the pandemic will develop and, above all, how great the need for offers like ours will be in eight weeks.

So are you hanging in the air?

Dieterich

: No, because we've seen for a year how quickly and easily we can react to new situations.

So far we have always done well with this because the infection process is very dynamic...

...and the politics erratic?

Kirner

: That's what you said.

Was that the biggest challenge: Constantly reacting to new measures?

Kirner

: Of course we had to adjust our offer again and again, but that's just normal in a pandemic.

We knew that from the start.

Dieterich

: The important thing is that we were always able to react and have held our ground since the opening, even in the phases when there was less activity or when the tests became chargeable.

In plain language, does that mean you are still on constant alert?

Kirner

: I wouldn't call it that, but yes, we're ready to ramp up operations again if necessary.

If the number of infections increases again in autumn, the test stations could also have more work to do.

Furthermore, no one knows whether mutations occur that circumvent vaccination protection, or whether politicians are increasingly relying on tests again.

You have been visiting clubs and events with a mobile test station for a while - now, after a long time, events are possible again without restrictions.

Will you be traveling around the region again with test kits in the future?

Dieterich

: Most organizers are very, very happy that they finally no longer have to meet any requirements.

At the moment I don't think we're driving through the district very quickly and testing guests.

Kirner: But of course it's an option that we could fundamentally imagine.

This again fits the keyword “dynamic events”.

You have been taking corona tests for a year: What is your personal conclusion?

Kirner

: We are happy that we have been able to help for a year.

But even if it was incredibly exhausting for us at times: We don't forget that there are other professional fields that have been even harder toil.