German Hospitals Say COVID Staff Testing ‘Madness’ Must Be Stopped

Rules prescribing daily hospital COVID testing described as ‘senseless’

New COVID-19 winter protection rules in Germany, setting a daily testing requirement for hospital staff, represent a potentially massive extra burden for under-pressure providers, says the hospitals federation.

Germany
• Source: Shutterstock: vchal

A new draft law in Germany proposes that all hospital staff and external service providers entering hospitals ̶ right down postal workers ̶ must provide a negative COVID test daily in order to be granted access to their place of work. The rule, which also applies to nursing home staff, will be in force between 1 October and until Easter 2023.

This proposed amendment to the infection prevention law (IfSG), adopted by the federal cabinet on 24 August, is designed to provide continuity after Germany’s current COVID-protection measures expire on 23...

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