In the past ten weeks, Germany has achieved something that hardly anyone thought possible at the beginning of March: Corona rapid tests have become a matter of course for many people in everyday life.

There is no shortage of test kits.

Millions of them are available, prices are falling.

There is also no shortage of test stations.

They have been opened by the thousands across the country.

Doctors and pharmacists take part, organizations like the Red Cross and the Johanniter, but also concert organizers and hoteliers, restaurateurs, club and kiosk operators.

Sebastian Balzter

Editor in the economy of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung.

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    Something powerful has clearly been unleashed.

    But what exactly is it that was released?

    In addition to the lofty intention of combating the disease, many actors undoubtedly add the prospect of good business.

    There is nothing to be said against that for the time being.

    This is the only way to bring the forces of the market to bear.

    But whenever the hoped-for profit comes from the public purse, it is always worth taking a closer look.

    It is the same with the so-called citizen testing.

    Since the beginning of March everyone who lives in Germany has been entitled to state-paid rapid antigen tests in one of the many test centers.

    The ordinance of Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU), which stipulates this, has triggered a real wave of founders.

    This is not a wonder. According to the paragraphs, a test center can in principle be opened by anyone who feels called to do so and has practiced taking samples in a crash course; the suitability of the staff and the operating concept are only checked on paper in advance, unless individual authorities request otherwise; the quality of the services provided is only examined on a random basis, if at all; and the big testing is paid for with tax money. Test centers under medical supervision can charge a flat rate of up to 21 euros per sample, all others up to 18 euros. Whoever thinks that is a mess has to multiply; the amount matters. The state's monthly expenditure on corona tests has almost quadrupled since the introduction of citizen testing:to almost 700 million euros between mid-April and mid-May alone.

    There is no upper limit;

    the ordinance applies until the Bundestag decides that the corona epidemic is over.

    If a negative test result is now a prerequisite for visiting shops and restaurants in many places, business should really gain momentum.

    Impostor with forged stamp

    The large amount of money not only attracts serious providers. A medical student in Lübeck set to work particularly boldly right at the beginning of the new test calendar. The test center, which he quickly opened in a shopping mall in the center of the city, offered swabs for the more complex PCR tests in addition to the quick tests to be carried out on the spot. These should then be examined in the laboratory of the Berlin Charité. A Charité stamp was also emblazoned on the findings that were later sent. Except that, according to the police, nobody at the Charité knew of this agreement, not a single smear from Lübeck ever arrived there and the stamp was forged. The Schmu was uncovered when a suspicious customer asked. The center was closed.The public prosecutor's office is investigating suspected fraud and misuse of titles. An employee is said to have also pretended to be a doctor.

    So much criminal energy is, after everything known so far, an exception in the test business. In any case, the state criminal investigation offices do not know of a single comparable case in all of Germany; Their statistics only show a few fraudsters who offer fake test certificates or impersonate test center employees on the doorstep in order to steal jewelry or cash as soon as they are allowed into the apartment.