Germany: recovery of the coronavirus in Bavaria after hazardous management

Text by: Pascal Thibaut Follow

3 min

In Germany, praised for its management of the pandemic, mistakes also happen. The boss of Bavaria Markus Söder, the most effective in the fight against the coronavirus, is under attack because the results of several thousand tests have not been sent to the people concerned.

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With our correspondent in Berlin, 

As often, Bavaria wanted to be first in class in the fight against the pandemic, starting with its Minister-President Markus Söder in favor of strict measures against the coronavirus. Monday August 10, the patron saint of the Bavarian social Christians praised his region, the only one to offer very numerous tests for holidaymakers returning to the country. Three airports, two train stations and three motorway rest areas host centers for this purpose.

The announcement that 44,000 people have sometimes been waiting for two weeks for the results of their test scratches the image of Markus Söder, a sort of Saint George slaying the Covid-19 dragon. Worse yet, 900 of those tests were positive which means those affected may have infected others since. Very modern Bavaria had no software available. Handwritten data was often unreadable.

A brake on his personal ambitions

The opposition in Bavaria calls into question the responsibility of Markus Söder who, contrary to his habits, had preferred to let his Minister of Health explain the matter to the press alone on Wednesday 12 August. The Bavarian official sees his management of the pandemic scratched. Beyond that, it could hurt the darling of the polls as his name is more and more advanced to be the Conservative candidate next year for the race for the chancellery after the withdrawal of Angela Merkel.

Söder has canceled a trip to northern Germany. Beyond the health issue, it is also the potential negative effects in the race for the chancellery that must be watched.

► To read also: Germany: the coronavirus plays the spoilsport in the succession of Angela Merkel

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• Germany
• Coronavirus
• Health and medicine

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