Werl/Arnsberg (dpa/lnw) – Less money per test, different groups of test subjects, new requirements only hours before they come into force – many a test center operator in North Rhine-Westphalia is struggling with the new regulations on the corona “citizen tests”. On Thursday there was “complete chaos”, criticized Sven Teschner, who runs a test center in Werl. “We briefly considered whether we shouldn’t just close the shop.” Organizational work is required for the centers and they also have to reckon with lower income.
Teschner said they were still working on the implementation of the rules until Thursday night. The guidelines were published on Wednesday – hours before they came into force. In the future, only certain risk groups will be entitled to free tests. If you want to visit an event or have a red Corona warning app, you have to pay three euros yourself, the rest is paid by the state. If you want to be tested without a reason, you have to pay in full yourself. In this case, the price is determined by the test center.
It is difficult to train 16 employees overnight and to instruct them in the new obligation to provide evidence, said Emil Riggelsen, operator of a test center in Arnsberg. There are no clear instructions, the scope for interpretation of the regulations is enormous. Evidence of the entitlement to a free test causes difficulties, for example: is the child under the age of six? Is the woman pregnant? Does the person care for a relative at home?
Operators reported that the number of tests was already falling. Now they can charge even less money per test. At the test site in Arnsberg, the three euros own contribution should be waived for the transition at least until Monday. With eight jobs in Münster, this even applies to the whole of July: they want to try to stay at “plus minus zero” in summer and then hope for more test people in autumn and winter, said Lou Hülswitt from the operating company Triple A.
