Other testing facilities are to be closed in Offenbach. According to the operators, however, 90 percent of the capacity in the fight against the Corona would then be lost.
Offenbach – Clean cut of test centers in Offenbach continues: After the three largest facilities of the Emanto company were closed by the Kassel regional council (RP) a month ago, the authority seems to continue to scythe through Offenbach. This time it hits the two remaining centers of the Bürgel dentist Moritz Breitenbach on Mühlheimer Straße and in Bürgel. According to the two operators, around 90 percent of the former test capacity in the city of Offenbach would then be eliminated.
The curious thing: the cover letters to both companies with the consequent requests for proof of default read like blueprints. “It’s very apparent that after nearly two years of successful testing operations, including PCR testing in close cooperation with the city health department, the RP is suddenly coming in and threatening to shut it down,” says Breitenbach. “These are all completely new requests. There have never been any complaints about it,” he explains. He was particularly annoyed by the PR’s requirement to use two rapid tests from the 20 pack for a so-called positive-negative functionality test to check if the pack is OK. “It’s not just that some tests are omitted from every package,” says Breitenbach. “There are only a few rare test kits from China in the world that make such a check possible. meet to close now as many test centers as possible and thus reduce costs.
Corona in Offenbach: “It’s as if there were a political directive”
Emanto boss Torsten Möller had a similar hypothesis. “Why are standards suddenly being set that have never been discussed before?” Möller asks. After all, checks by the health department have repeatedly shown that everything was fine. “And it also says a lot that we had already presented all the necessary evidence after four days and now we have been waiting for almost a month for the regional council to give us feedback,” says the head of Emanto, explaining his distrust of the authority of Kassel. “It is as if there were a political directive to close at all costs the large centers that charge for a large number of free tests”.
The actions of RP Kassel have serious consequences for Offenbach: In the event of a winter storm, the city would have too little testing capacity. In addition, according to the law, new replacement test centers have not been allowed to open since the summer.
At the Kassel regional council, spokesman Hendrik Kalvelage rejects allegations that the PR “executes a political will and prohibits the trial operation for irrelevant reasons”. He says: “The operator could not prove that the rapid antigen tests or PCR tests were performed in accordance with legal requirements.” For data protection reasons, however, he declined to comment on further details. He denies that Emanto, as assured by Torsten Möller, he has already presented all the required evidence. The requirements and specifications for test centers have remained the same so far and were disclosed even at the start of the pandemic. However, he admits that the RP can only carry out spot checks.
Corona in Offenbach: Why are test centers in a big city closed “all at once”?
For Breitenbach, this is a farce: “Someone has to explain to me logically why the PR selects all large test sites in a large city at once and thus eliminates the test offer almost completely.” Because he is certain of one point: “The requirements, which the RP now wants to meet, no operator can even begin to provide.
After all, it would be possible to quickly demonstrate whether the anomalies in the audit strategy suspected by Möller and Breitenbach existed. Namely with the question of how many test centers were closed throughout Hesse in a monthly comparison. A recent buildup would be noticed immediately. The PR’s response: “Please understand that we will not publicly analyze the requested figures in detail in order to ensure an effective monitoring system.”
In any case, the well-established test center now seems to be causing a sensation up to the Hessian Ministry of Social Affairs. “The test options from Emanto and Mr. Breitenbach are an important, if not the only pillar of the offer for Offenbach and it would be a problem if there was no longer a sufficient range of test options in Offenbach,” says the boss of the health department , mayor Sabine Groß . “I spoke to Hessian Health Minister Kai Klose, who shares the city’s assessment that it is still important to use testing options and provide adequate services.” (Christian Reinartz)
