If the ethics committee and the data protection officers agree, there will possibly be a one-time trial of the risks of a Sars-Cov2 infection at major events in Stuttgart over the next few weeks in a club, possibly in the Porsche Arena and on an open-air stage. Then club or concert goers will get a tracker at the entrance. They store their data in an app, and the scientists evaluate the anonymized data in order to find out where problematic contacts occurred, at the entrance, in the toilet or in an adjoining room that is too small. “With the pilot test, we want to improve the situation for visitors to major events and minimize the risk of infection. It's not about putting ankle cuffs on the concert-goers or controlling them, "said Thorsten Lehr,Professor of clinical pharmacy at Saarland University, who oversees the project.
Rudiger Soldt
Political correspondent in Baden-Württemberg.
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The visitor data stored in an app and the code names of the trackers are stored in separate vault databases.Only if a visitor has been infected with the coronavirus, the personal data of the infected person and those of his closest contact persons are released for further contact tracking.
“The advantage of the project is that we can evaluate the encounter data, which is not possible with the Corona app.
As researchers, we cannot tap into that, ”said Lehr.
Another advantage of the credit card-sized trackers is their better technology: The Corona app's contact switching is based on Bluetooth wireless technology, the trackers work with ultra-broadband technology (UWB). It works much more precisely and is less prone to failure. The distance of individual people is determined up to a distance of ten centimeters. The contact reports from the trackers are then evaluated with software and possible “infection hot spots” are identified. On the basis of the knowledge gained in this way, the risk of infection can be minimized even with higher incidences, laboratory capacities can be saved and the health authorities can be relieved. The trackers cannot be located with GPS. They also warn the concert or club-goers with a vibration or a signal,if they get too close and don't adhere to the rules of distance.
The Social Mayor of Stuttgart, Alexandra Sußmann, says of the pilot test: “The opening time goes hand in hand with more contacts. What means more togetherness and more personal experiences for the citizens, demands protection against infection enormously. Lehr is in charge of a similar tracking pilot project at primary schools, grammar schools and community schools in Saarland. The Stuttgart municipal council voted for the project on Thursday, with a budget of almost 500,000 euros.