The current corona measures will not be enough to keep the schools open after the Easter holidays or to allow the catering industry to open on 1 May. That said microbiologist Herman Goossens Monday on Radio 1. He also admitted that the rapid tests – Goossens is chairman of the task force testing – will not stop a third wave.
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Goossens has long advocated massive testing to keep the corona pandemic under control. On Monday, a pilot project with rapid tests was started at Bpost.
The fact that it all had to take so long, according to the Antwerp professor, has to do with the complicated regulations. For example, the supervision of a company doctor is required to perform tests on the work floor. The administrative burden is also quite high, and all results must be listed.
The federal government is preparing new legislation that will allow more flexibility with regard to rapid and self-testing. “I think it should be possible to do it quickly. If the parliament gives the green light, self-tests could possibly be possible by mid-April ”, Goossens said on Radio 1. Employees would then be able to carry out a corona test themselves, at home or on the work floor. In this respect, a pilot project has already been started in education with saliva tests, which must then be sent to a lab for further analysis.
Goossens does not think self-tests as in Germany, which are for sale in supermarkets without further guidance, are not a good idea. “That’s an example of how not to do it.”
The professor was satisfied that there is some movement in the test field, also in the business world, but at the same time warned that these quick tests will not be able to avoid a third wave, because the virus is now circulating too much. “The tests will not be able to make a sufficient difference.”
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