THE EUROPEAN – SECURITY AND DEFENCE UNION
Encroachments on fundamental rights must be measured against the principle of proportionality
photo: ©Firn, stock.adobe.com
The tension between civil rights and the requirements of health protection
by Dr Kirsten Kappert-Gonther MdB, Member of the Health Committee, German Bundestag, Berlin
G
ermany has weathered the pandemic relatively well so far. This is in part due to the strengths of our healthcare system, for instance its good diagnostics. Nevertheless, the crisis is far from over. Only when a vaccine or effective treatment options are available will we be able to return to normality. Until then, we must learn to live with the virus and protect ourselves and our fellow human beings from infection by applying rules of distancing and hygiene. We now know more about the virus and how it spreads. This will allow us to control it better. The spread of the virus has also slowed down, but the threat has not been eliminated. Over the summer months, the number of cases increased, and experts estimate that this trend will continue in autumn. In light of this, we should continue to follow the general rules: keep your distance, wash your hands and wear a mask. When temperatures fall again and we spend more time indoors, differentiated and targeted preventive measures must be taken to ensure that the health of at-risk groups is protected and that our healthcare system is not overstretched.
between countries. In Germany, the main responsibility for combating the epidemic rests with the Public Health Service, i.e. the municipal health authorities. They have to ensure that infection control measures are adhered to, that regional outbreaks are detected quickly, and that infected people and their contacts are quickly traced. Therefore, the Federal Government and the Länder (Germany’s states) must provide effective support to affected municipalities and health authorities to help them cope with the outbreaks. In addition to the Corona Warning App, additional digital solutions are required to make the tracking of contact persons as efficient as possible. The focus here must be on the prompt notification of positively tested persons to quickly interrupt the infection paths. To ensure that this can be done without overburdening our health authorities, we need a targeted testing strategy that focuses on testing in healthcare institutions and schools, based on the traditional testing methods as well as on newer rapid tests.
in containing the virus “Success must not be jeopardised by premature political decisions regarding relaxation.”
International cooperation is key A responsible health policy must strengthen the institutions that are important in the fight against infection, including the World Health Organisation (WHO). The danger of pandemics can only be countered by coordinated and solidary cooperation
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Digital contact tracing There has been an intense debate in Germany about the possibilities of digital support for this so-called contact tracing since the beginning of March. This took place against the background of highly divergent international approaches to pandemic control. Asian countries such as China, Singapore, Taiwan and South Korea are pursuing different goals. They evaluate both individual and aggregated information on population move-
