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Starting next Monday, some Czechs will have to make a detour twice a week on their way to work - if they work in Saxony.

Commuters from abroad should be tested for the corona virus twice a week.

So it demands a new regulation on which the Saxon Ministry of Social Affairs and the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs have agreed.

"We want to protect the Czech and Saxon citizens together from the consequences of the coronavirus disease," said a joint statement.

And yet it seems at best to be a tentative attempt at containment, considering the great risk of infection that is currently likely to arise from the tens of thousands of cross-border commuters.

Above all, Saxony and Bavaria are increasingly confronted with a problem with the Czech Republic.

Because in the neighboring country, the daily new infections are increasing rapidly.

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Last Monday, the Johns Hopkins University for the Czech Republic reported almost 1000 new Covid-19 cases per million inhabitants - and the trend is rising.

This makes the value almost five times as high as in Germany.

Source: WORLD infographic

At the same time, it is already evident: Of the ten German districts with the highest seven-day incidence of new corona infections per 100,000 inhabitants, four are located directly on the Czech border, all the others are also in the surrounding region.

For this reason, strict requirements recently applied to people traveling to Saxony and Bavaria from abroad.

Anyone who has been in a risk area in the past ten days usually has to go into quarantine at home for ten days.

In addition, it is mandatory to report to the local authorities - in Bavaria at the district administration office, in Saxony at the health department via an online entry form.

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Cross-border commuters in Saxony also have to carry out a so-called entry test, i.e. undergo a Covid-19 test no earlier than 24 hours before entry and no later than 48 hours afterwards.

"Significant disruptions to production operations"

For commuters, however, there have been exceptions.

Anyone who lives in a risk area and has to go to the German side in order to practice their profession is exempt from the obligation to isolate, provided that they return to their place of residence at least once a week.

The same applies to people who only enter the country for a short time and whose stay is not used for shopping, tourism or other private events.

So except for work.

This is what the currently valid versions of the state regulations provide.

Source: WORLD infographic

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Generous exceptions despite the rapidly increasing number of infections?

Saxony in particular poses a dilemma when it comes to dealing with commuters.

If entry bans were now issued, the consequences for many companies would be dramatic, warns the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK) in Chemnitz.

From the point of view of the local companies, the obligation to test will ultimately pose major challenges for the economy.

"As important as it is now to reduce the number of new corona infections, the planned new regulation for testing commuters is to be criticized," said Christoph Neuberg, Deputy General Manager IHK Chemnitz, WELT.

“Significant disruptions to production operations are expected.” Since last Monday, the chamber has already received 250 inquiries from unsettled companies.

No wonder, because the Saxon economy is largely dependent on workers from Eastern Europe.

In Saxony, up to 20,000 cross-border commuters and crossers would be affected, explains the Chamber of Commerce in Dresden when asked.

And most of them work in important industrial companies in the region.

At the cotton weaving mill in Zittau two thirds of the workforce are Czech cross-border commuters, at Birkenstock in Görlitz around 80 percent of the employees come from Poland.

From a business perspective, the new test regulation leaves many questions unanswered.

Are the test capacities on site sufficient at all?

And will there be daily checks at the borders?

Or even in the factories?

That would have a significant impact on the operational processes.

In addition: According to the current status, the commuters should assume the costs for the tests themselves, it is said.

"Around 400 Czech doctors work in Saxony"

Depending on the type of test, whether rapid antigen test or PCR test, several hundred euros per month can be accumulated.

"Since the people concerned are often in employment relationships that do not yield above-average salaries, it would not be possible to transfer the costs to the employees," explains Lars Fiehler, Managing Director for Location Policy at the IHK Dresden.

That would then mean that employers would have to bear the additional costs themselves.

The Saxon Ministry of Social Affairs initially left unanswered when asked what sanctions are threatened in the event of violations and whether tougher measures are already being discussed.

The state government should nevertheless be aware of the importance of foreign commuters for the economy.

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The Ministry of Social Affairs already announced a relaxation of the twice-weekly test obligation.

"We will only maintain the measures as long as it is absolutely necessary to protect the citizens," the statement said.

As soon as the infection situation arises, the rules should be relaxed.

Because not only the industry would be affected by tougher measures for commuters, but also the health sector and the urgently needed specialists from Eastern European countries, for example in nursing and hospitals.

"Around 400 Czech doctors work in Saxony," the Saxon State Medical Association said when asked.

The doctors are therefore certain: There will be no entry ban for commuting doctors.

Erik Bodendieck, President of the Saxon State Medical Association, has repeatedly emphasized that "many clinics in Saxony are very happy about the support from foreign doctors, since otherwise some wards could only work to a limited extent or would have to be closed."

In any case, Saxon patients would not have to expect any restrictions in the hospitals due to the new mandatory testing.

"We assume that doctors in the hospitals are already being tested regularly for Corona," it says when asked.

This is nothing new for doctors.