Health ministerial conference: compulsory testing for boosted people should drop

In places where the 2G plus rule applies, people who have been vaccinated three times no longer need a corona test. Nursing facilities are excluded. This is what the federal and state health ministers have decided.

For those who have been vaccinated with booster booster vaccinations, additional test obligations for corona access rules are to be largely eliminated. However, in “medical and nursing facilities” to protect particularly endangered groups of people, a negative test result should still be required from boosted persons. This was announced by Bavaria’s Health Minister Klaus Holetschek after consultations with the federal and state health ministers. It was the first conference with the new Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach.

The relief for those with a boost should be assessed after two months at the latest and, if necessary, adjusted according to the situation dynamics, said CSU politician Holetschek. Specifically, it is about corona rules based on the 2G plus model – i.e. if a test is also required of them if access is only available to vaccinated and convalescent people (2G). According to the latest federal-state resolutions, 2G applies to restaurants, leisure and cultural facilities, among other things – 2G-plus requirements can also be added. Holetschek explained that an exemption from this could take effect 15 days after the booster vaccination.

Test rule has already been lifted in some federal states

Some federal states such as Baden-Württemberg had already lifted the obligation to test for triple vaccines at the beginning of December. Bavaria also abolished the obligation to test for boosters today.

Health Minister Lauterbach had already advertised the measure in advance. This should “make boosting even more attractive”. The decision of the health ministers affects almost 20 million people who have already received a booster vaccination.

Another topic at the conference was the procurement of more corona vaccines, according to Holetschek. Lauterbach said in the meeting that more vaccine would be needed for the first quarter of 2022 – also to successfully implement the planned mandatory vaccination. The federal states had encouraged him that he should also try to obtain vaccine doses with “unconventional methods” and in direct contact with vaccine manufacturers, said Holetschek.

Dealing with the Omikron variant was the third central topic of the conference of health ministers, according to the CSU politician. For this purpose, however, further expert advice is to be obtained first.