Berlin – The federal government’s plans for tracking corona infection chains by cell phone are now taking shape.
According to the Bundeswehr, around 50 soldiers are taking part in a test for an application by the Fraunhofer Institute for tracking possible corona infections in the Julius Leber barracks in Berlin on Wednesday.
The rapid availability of such a technique is seen as a way to slow the spread of Covid-19 lung disease when there will be some relaxation of current public restrictions. Among other things, it is about being able to use the corona tests that are only available in limited quantities.
“The procedure for this calibration consists of several phases, in which there are initially two people in a specific, defined area,” said the Bundeswehr. “The number of people is gradually increased over time and then gradually reduced again after reaching a defined target size.”
The soldiers must be at certain points as test subjects, for a certain period of time, or move to another point. The test cycles take place on the barracks in buildings and outdoors. “It goes without saying that the highest priority is placed on the safety and health of the participants and everyone is equipped with the necessary protective equipment,” it said. According to TEH information, the Robert Koch Institute is also involved in the development of technology.
Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn (CDU) originally planned to allow the health authorities in an “epidemic situation of national importance” to determine the contact persons of sick people using cell phone location data. After fierce criticism from the opposition, but also from the SPD, Spahn initially postponed these plans.
However, political support from all parties represented in the Bundestag is available for an app that citizens could install voluntarily and that anonymously warns them anonymously without disclosing names or location data if they have come into contact with a confirmed infected person. The Federal Data Protection Officer Ulrich Kelber (SPD) also thinks this is a viable option.
