The answer is short: “Long queues”, says Gerhard Bieber, spokesman for Johanniter in Munich, when asked what the situation is in the emergency service’s rapid test centers. The Johanniter operate four rapid test centers in the city and two in the district. “The 2G-plus rules have increased demand immensely; it clearly exceeds our capacities,” says Bieber. At most locations, tests can only be offered by appointment, for example in the Olympic Park. “Expectations are high: if you have an appointment, you want to get there on time, if you don’t have one, you still want to do a test quickly,” says Bieber. There is a lack of space and staff for a larger offer.
There are queues in front of test stations and fully booked appointment lists at pharmacies have been part of everyday life since the corona rules were tightened in Bavaria. Since last Wednesday, for example, the 2G-plus rule has been in effect for visitors to theaters and concerts, for spectators in sports, and for everyone who wants to go to the gym or swimming pool. Only those who have been vaccinated and who have recovered who can also show a negative corona test come in. In addition, a 3G certificate is required in the workplace as well as on buses and trains. Anyone who has neither been vaccinated nor recovered must therefore be tested.
Where there are quick tests in Munich, “Tests Munich” shows, one interactive map the city. There are just a handful of entries in the center. Including the Corona test center in Kaufingertor-Passage, which promises immediate appointments. On Friday noon, however, all appointments for the day are already taken and there is just one slot free for Saturday. In the Hofbräukeller test center on Wiener Platz, the dates for Friday are sold out, but something could still be done on Saturday. Patience is also required in the pharmacies that test. In the Asam pharmacy, for example, many appointments for Saturday are already fully booked on Friday. Testing pharmacies can be found on “My pharmacy manager”, a website of the pharmacists’ association.
Jens Psczolla also reports “very strong demand”. He is the managing director of the management consultancy Konzept-A, which looks after almost 380 pharmacies and also provides them with an online platform called “Schnelltest Apotheke” on which they can offer corona tests. Access to the website has increased fivefold in the past week. Eight Munich pharmacies can be found there, such as Dr. Beckers Central Apotheke in the Stachus shopping center.
“There aren’t many time slots for a quick test right now,” says Psczolla, who would like to encourage even more pharmacies to test it. “But many of them lack staff because pregnant women are not allowed to work in the pharmacy, employees are sick or the children of employees are in quarantine,” says the consultant. After all, there is no shortage of test kits. “We manage to take care of our customers, but it doesn’t go that fast anymore,” says Psczolla. “Until recently we delivered within 24 hours via a partner company, now it takes 48 hours because they can’t keep up with the packing.”
The Bavarian Pharmacists’ Association says, however, “that in some pharmacies the demand for self-tests cannot be satisfied”. The tests are particularly popular right now because many citizens want certainty before visiting family or friends. And employers now have to offer their employees a test twice a week; they too shop in pharmacies.
In view of the bottlenecks, a quick test should be planned in advance if possible, recommends Johanniter spokesman Bieber. “If you want to go to the gym tomorrow evening, you should make an appointment this evening at the latest.”