Air and maritime transport during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany: challenges for the public health service [Flug- und Schiffsverkehr während der COVID-19-Pandemie in Deutschland: Herausforderungen für den Öffentlichen Gesundheitsdienst]

Abstract

COVID-19 has been challenging our society since January 2020. Due to global travel, the new coronavirus has rapidly spread worldwide. This article aims to provide an overview of the challenges in implementing measures in the air and maritime transport sector from the perspective of the German Public Health Service (Öffentlicher Gesundheitsdienst, ÖGD). Significant events and measures for air and maritime transport between January and August 2020 were selected. Lessons learned are discussed. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the ÖGD has been operating in a field of tension between the dynamics of scientific knowledge, political decision-making, social acceptance and consent. There are specific challenges at points of entry such as airports and seaports. These include staff shortages and the need to implement measures with a high organisational effort at very short notice such as health authority passenger checks carried out on aircraft, the establishment of test centres at points of entry and control of compliance with quarantine measures. Aggravating the situation, passenger lists, which are necessary for effective contact tracing, are often not available or incomplete. There is also a lack of digital tools for contact tracing but also, for example, the exchange of personal data within the ÖGD. Further difficulties in outbreak management arise from the cramped conditions on board ships and from the potential psychological stress on crew members and passengers, which have not yet been sufficiently considered. In view of all these challenges, it is paramount to strengthen the German Public Health Service in general and at points of entry and to intensify the exchange between the national, federal state and local levels. © 2021, The Author(s).