For many people, the pandemic is coming to an end. Many worries are forgotten. But in addition to the human fates, the financial traces will continue to have an impact for a long time.

Munich (dpa/lby) – The Free State of Bavaria has spent more than 3.7 billion euros since 2020 to directly combat the corona pandemic. This emerges from a response from the Ministry of Health to a request from the SPD state parliamentary group, which is available to the German Press Agency in Munich.

According to this, most of the money went into setting up and operating the vaccination centers (1.089 billion euros) and into fighting the pandemic in schools and daycare centers (1.020 billion euros).

To combat the pandemic in retirement homes and hospitals, Bavaria has paid 530.4 million euros since 2020, the implementation of the test strategy – including the operation of the test centers – has cost 411 million euros since 2020.

The additional personnel costs incurred as a result of the corona pandemic were also expensive. According to the information, they have amounted to 340.1 million euros since 2020. This includes, among other things, the costs of increasing staff in the public health service and on the Corona hotline, for continuing to track the infection, overtime pay and the Corona bonus for employees in the nursing and health care sectors.

For the purchase of protective masks of all kinds, the ministry has estimated the costs “taking into account any complaints procedures, discount agreements and contract withdrawals” at 313.8 million euros since 2020.

Around 86 million purchased masks that were not used due to formal or technical defects or because the usability date had passed were not taken into account here. Complaints procedures are sometimes still running here.

A scandal for SPD faction leader Florian von Brunn: “We have 90 million masks too many. Twelve million have already been destroyed.” As a result, “massive tax money was burned”.

The Ministry of Health vehemently rejects the criticism: “In the context of the corona pandemic, there was a dramatic emergency situation in spring 2020,” said a spokeswoman. For Bavaria alone, the estimated mask requirement per month for hospitals and other medical and nursing facilities was around 21 million pieces, for people over 60 years of age 98 million pieces, for the chronically ill 106 million pieces and for the rest of the population 160 million Piece.

“It is therefore clear that given the emergency situation at the time and the completely unclear development of the corona pandemic, it was right to buy as many protective masks and disinfectants as possible. This was the only way to maintain the supply of people in Bavaria and the functionality of the medical and nursing facilities “, stressed the spokeswoman.

In addition, Bavaria paid a total of 17.4 million euros for advertising and information campaigns in connection with the 2020 corona pandemic, 17.6 million euros for digital tools in connection with the corona pandemic and 25.5 million euros for the purchase of disinfectants. Almost 2.7 million liters of disinfectants ordered were never put into circulation.

With a view to corporate aid, even significantly higher sums flowed over the years: a whopping 15.56 billion euros were paid out as compensation payments, around half of which (7.759 billion euros) in 2021 alone. The total expenditure includes, among other things, costs for the Corona -Emergency aid, the Bavarian hardship aid, compensation payments to care facilities, hospitals and rehabilitation facilities, as well as other Corona economic aid.

Since the information for 2022 only takes into account the expenditure up to the end of June – the financial year has not yet been closed – the information is not final.

For von Brunn, the corporate aid proves that Bavaria also has to spend more money in the energy crisis: “In view of these figures, there are no longer any excuses for the relief in Bavaria. The delaying tactics must also end. Now substantial Bavarian aid must be given up completely come quickly – as a supplement to federal aid. Just like during the pandemic.”