Augsburg (dpa / lby) – The Augsburg administrative court is hearing on Thursday (2 p.m.) about the dismissal of the medical officer Friedrich Pürner as head of the health department in the Aichach-Friedberg district. Pürner had to vacate his post in autumn 2020 after criticizing the state government’s corona policy. Pürner was then transferred to the State Office for Health and Food Safety. This was understood by many as a punitive transfer.
The case had attracted a lot of attention in the pandemic beyond Swabia. For example, Pürner had criticized the obligation to wear masks and the closure of entire school classes in individual cases of corona. Corona skeptics therefore saw him as a role model, and colleagues also showed solidarity with him. An open letter published on the Internet was signed by hundreds of medical professionals.
To this day, Pürner comments on the Corona policy, especially on Twitter. He is suing the Free State not only because of the transfer to the State Health Office. He is also concerned with “official appropriate employment”. Pürner doubts that his new job will match his qualifications. It is still unclear whether the administrative court will announce a decision on Thursday.
