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Berlin (dpa) - The federal government sees a need to catch up with corona tests in companies - but does not agree on whether the companies should also be obliged to test.
While Economics Minister Peter Altmaier (CDU) wants to continue to rely on voluntariness, Vice Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) pleaded for legal requirements.
A survey of employees commissioned by the federal government showed that 61 percent currently have an employer who offers corona tests.
"That is not enough," emphasized Scholz.
At least 90 percent would have to be achieved.
Altmaier confirmed that 90 percent of the companies were the target.
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The CDU politician said that an increase in the number of test offers at least in the order of a third is feasible and possible.
He hoped that these successes could be achieved with a voluntary solution.
Scholz, on the other hand, spoke of legislative rules "which mean that employees in the company are obliged to receive test offers".
Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) emphasized that test offers alone are not enough if more employees do not use them.
Currently, only around 20 to 40 percent of employees have themselves tested regularly, "even in companies that offer this very generously".
The President of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), Lothar Wieler, emphasized that tests could identify infected people earlier.
"But that only works if the tests are at a certain frequency."
Despite the tests, protective measures should not be given up.
"We can't test the virus away," he said.
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The economy is against legal requirements.
A spokesman for Labor Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD) said on Thursday: "From the point of view of the Federal Labor Ministry, it is not satisfactory that around 40 percent of employees are not given a test offer."
The minister had repeatedly made it clear in the past that he was in favor of a binding regulation if there was insufficient testing in the world of work.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210409-99-141072 / 2