From April 1, each person will be provided with a maximum of five free PCR tests per month. The federal government hands over control to the states. But they don’t know how.
With the limitation of free corona tests from April 1 announced by Health Minister Johannes Rauch (Greens). there are still open questions. While the delivery of the five antigen “living room” tests via the pharmacies has already been regulated, from Vienna’s point of view the control of compliance with the delivery of a maximum of five PCR tests is unclear, as the city emphasized on Thursday. The ministry referred to the responsibility of the federal states.
Minister of Health John Rauch (Greens) announced the end of the unlimited free corona tests last Tuesday. From April 1, only five antigen tests should be available per person per month for self-take and a maximum of five PCR tests should be handed in. However, it was also announced that symptomatic people will have access to tests at any time – “regardless of the consumption of the free tests”. The well-known hotline 1450 should be the “first point of contact”.
Implementation is a matter for the state
The implementation is a matter for the federal states, it said on Thursday from the Ministry of Health. The health department is working out an ordinance “in which the framework conditions are determined which screening programs are financed by the federal government”. In concrete terms, this should include the previously announced limit of five tests (per person and month) as well as other test options in “vulnerable settings”. “The implementation of the test programs is (as before) the sole responsibility and competence of the federal states,” said the ministry in a written statement.
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The shortening of the isolation is obviously intended to herald its final end. The fact that infections are also possible following five days is accepted – but not communicated.
The control that only a maximum of five PCR screening tests are carried out (apart from symptomatic tests and apart from those for entering “vulnerable settings”) is “organized and implemented by the federal states”, according to Minister Rauch’s office.
In the office of Vienna’s City Councilor for Health Peter Hacker (SPÖ) still saw many unanswered questions. So it is questionable how the comparison between the different test systems should take place. Neither the EMS system (in which positive cases are reported, note) nor the EPI service (to which the test centers report negative cases and through which the certificates are created) are suitable for a check.
Firstly, the test centers have no access to the two systems and, secondly, there is no record of where and why someone was tested anyway. It would therefore not be possible to determine whether someone has already taken tests because of symptoms or had a test carried out because of a visit to an old people’s or nursing home. It is also not possible to carry out a central (even nationwide) comparison between the systems (pharmacies, gargle providers or laboratories).
Congestion of the 1450 hotline feared
If, in symptomatic (suspected) cases, it is only possible to test via 1450, then, according to the hacker’s spokesman, there are fears that the hotline will be overloaded. In addition, the city council office once once more pointed out that fewer tests overall also mean more costs per individual test. According to Vienna’s calculations, if the number of tests were reduced by 40 percent, the costs would only drop by 14 percent.
The Ministry of Health said regarding Vienna’s concerns that the federal states were responsible for checking the test limits. In the future, a federal state may charge the federal government for a maximum of five (free) PCR tests per month per citizen. A comparison of data between the federal states is not planned. This has, among other things, data protection reasons. If you commute between two federal states, you will probably be able to call up more than the specified free tests.
According to the Ministry of Health, free PCR tests in pharmacies can only be offered in the future if a federal state integrates the pharmacy tests into the respective screening program. “This ensures that the maximum number of free tests in the respective federal state is not exceeded,” it said. With regard to the tests of symptomatic people, the ministry emphasized that citizens cannot decide for themselves whether they should receive an additional test free of charge because of symptoms. From April onwards, such tests will only be carried out on the orders of the health authorities, ie only tests ordered by the authorities will not be included in the free contingent in future.
Helplessness also in Burgenland
Hacker’s office also expressed concerns regarding tests for visits to old people’s and nursing homes. The federal government had suggested allowing antigen tests to be carried out on its own. Here it is completely open whether it should be living room tests on your own or quick tests by authorized bodies, just as the control and implementation might work. In this case, too, it is questionable how the visitor might prove that these tests are also part of the free offer if the reason for the test cannot be entered anywhere. The Ministry of Health emphasized that it is the responsibility of the federal states to ensure appropriate test structures.
On Thursday, Burgenland was also at a loss. You don’t know how the controls are supposed to work – and you’re waiting for the federal government to make suggestions on the exact procedure.
The Carinthian health officer Beate Prettner (SPÖ) also saw open questions on Thursday: These are to be clarified on (tomorrow) Friday at a joint appointment with the Federal Ministry and the federal states. The five available PCR tests are to be made available in Carinthia via “Alles gurgelt”. But: “For people who don’t have a smartphone or who don’t find their way around the system that well, this poses a problem,” says Prettner. There should still be a smear option for them.
Styria wants its own system
Styria said on Thursday that both the five free PCR tests and the five free antigen tests per month and person would be issued or carried out via pharmacies from April 1st. However, it is not possible to check the maximum of five tests via the e-card because that excludes, for example, those who have unsubscribed from Elga. That is why there will be a separate system in Styria to control this.
“Salzburg gargles” will continue in Salzburg, according to information from the state’s corona management on Thursday. The contract with the partners is being finalized. The test kits are therefore handed out in Spar supermarkets and can be thrown into the collection containers there following the test has been carried out.
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