Border traffic with France and Switzerland: companies in the border region get hundreds of thousands of corona tests – Baden-Württemberg

The state government of Baden-Wuerttemberg wants to make several hundred thousand rapid tests available to some companies in order to enable smooth border traffic with France and Switzerland.

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Stuttgart – In order to continue to enable smooth border traffic with France and Switzerland, the state government wants to provide companies with several hundred thousand rapid tests. An agreement was reached with the responsible chambers of commerce to supply companies in the border region with 300,000 rapid tests from the state’s inventory free of charge, according to a statement from the state government on Friday evening. “This additional test offer should ensure continued smooth border traffic in the border with France and Switzerland and enable a free flow of goods,” it said.

In view of the high number of infections in large parts of France, it is likely that the French neighboring region of Grand Est, which borders Baden-Württemberg, could also be classified as a virus variant or high incidence area, it said. That could also apply to Switzerland. Then, according to the information, a test would apply upon entry. “That would pose further major challenges to the socially and economically closely interwoven border areas on the Upper Rhine, High Rhine and Lake Constance with their around 100,000 cross-border commuters and cross-border commuters,” it continued. 100,000 of the PoC antigen rapid tests would be made available for use in companies immediately, and another 200,000 from mid-March.

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Interior Minister Thomas Strobl (CDU) had already spoken out in favor of a comprehensive test strategy in the border regions on Sunday with a view to the Federal Government’s decision to make entry from the French region Moselle, which borders Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland, more difficult . From his point of view, a jointly operated Franco-German and a German-Swiss test center would be conceivable, he said.

In a letter to Health and Social Affairs Minister Manne Lucha (Greens), Strobl renewed his demands on Friday: “We have to do everything we can to ensure that a high-incidence or virus variant area does not even come about,” he wrote. He advocated giving people in the border region a test offer as a matter of principle. Close coordination with neighboring countries is necessary for this. Strobl also spoke out in favor of setting up mobile test teams at various border crossings. The letter was before the dpa.

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