Corona tests have not been free for everyone for a month. Since then, demand has been falling, as the health authorities report. But some have already prepared for the fall.
Frankfurt/Main (dpa/lhe) - Fewer and fewer people are being tested in corona test centers in Hesse. Since the new test regulation came into force at the beginning of July 2022, demand has fallen in most Hessian test centers, according to a survey by the German Press Agency among health authorities. Many counties and cities reported that the number of tests fell by around a third.
Free trials will continue to be offered, but there must be a valid reason. People who are particularly at risk, for example in hospitals or care facilities, are exempt from the costs. The same applies to people who share a household with infected people. Tests are also free for people who want to be tested after an infection. A reduced price of three euros applies to people who want to take part in events or visit old people, for example. If you want to be tested without a reason, you pay the full price.
Since the new test regulation came into force, more and more companies have stopped working, said a spokesman for the state capital Wiesbaden. Further closures cannot be ruled out if the demand for the citizen tests continues to decrease.
“Basically, it has led to fewer people testing themselves. In contrast, there is still a very high incidence with a significant number of unreported cases,” explained a spokesman for the Limburg-Weilburg district. 20 test centers in the district have been closed since the beginning of June. The downward trend is also noticeable in Kassel: a spokesman for the city of Kassel said that around 14 test centers have stopped working since the new regulation began.
Demand has fallen by around a third in both Kassel and the Bergstrasse, Main-Kinzig and Marburg-Biedenkopf districts, as reported by the health authorities. Some would only have reduced their opening hours.
In the Lahn-Dill district, operations in ten test sites were put on “dormant”, as a city spokeswoman explained. This offers the test site operators the opportunity to resume operations in autumn if necessary. In October last year, citizen tests were already subject to a fee. After a few weeks, however, the federal government rowed back.
