Drilling both nostrils five times, pushing the stick into the saline solution, dripping onto the test cassette – and then waiting anxiously for a second line to show up after a few minutes: this was part of the fixed morning ritual in Austria’s schools during the pandemic period. Schoolchildren and teachers had to test themselves three times a week until spring 2022. Only a tight testing regime would ensure that the schools could remain open, was the government’s tenor at the time. 97.5 million Covid antigen tests were delivered to 6,000 schools in Austria in 2021 alone.
