German drugstore operator dm-drogerie markt has announced the opening of its 100th COVID-19 rapid test centre, in front of the Mall of Berlin shopping centre in the centre of the capital.
According to Christoph Werner, chairman of dm's management committee, the testing infrastructure that the retailer has developed is aimed at facilitating an opening strategy for businesses based on negative test results.
"It is very important to us that citizens in our country can play an active role in overcoming the coronavirus pandemic so that civil liberties can be fully taken for granted again as soon as possible," he said.
Rapid Testing
From the beginning of May, the results of rapid tests at dm centres will be imported into the Corona Warn app and Luca app, public health systems that are being used to track infection chains and contact tracing.
dm-drogerie markt commenced the rollout of raid test centres at the beginning of March in Baden-Württemberg. Individuals seeking to book an appointment can do so via the retailer's app, with the results of each test sent by email after 15 minutes.
The complete list of dm-drogerie markt rapid test centres can be found here: dm.de/corona-schnelltest-zentren.
A number of retailers across Europe have introduced COVID-testing solutions to their stores, as the continent battles a third wave of the pandemic.
Self-Testing Systems
As well as the rapid test centre project, dm-drogerie markt will be providing technical service support on the rollout of self-testing systems in public institutions, such as schools and colleges.
The rollout is being undertaken by federal ministries in each German state, while the dm order management portal will manage the information made available by the state government, with all relevant information forwarded to logistics partners.
dm-drogerie markt, which currently boasts operations in 13 European countries, achieved sales of €11.5 billion in its 2019/2020 financial year.
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