Robert Friedmann went to the doctor the other day. The head of the Würth Group in Künzelsau, Swabia, which is known for its screws, hadn't even remembered that masks are still compulsory there. "I had to go back to the car first," he says. Many Germans are probably feeling like Friedmann right now. There is plenty of sunshine outside, hardly any restrictions, public life is reminiscent of the time before the coronavirus pandemic. Yet the seven-day incidence figures remain high.

Health insurance companies report more sick days. The Federal Chairman of the German Association of General Practitioners told dpa that GPs are currently seeing many patients with Covid-related illnesses, but also with seasonally atypical flu-like symptoms or diarrhoea. However, according to a survey conducted by Deutsche Presse-Agentur, the industry has not yet felt the effects as much. Nevertheless, the question arises: Will corona soon paralyze the German economy - again?

Take precautions for the fall

The number of coronavirus infections is high and sickness rates are correspondingly high, said Hans-Jürgen Urban, Managing Director of IG Metall. However, anyone infected with the virus has no business being at work. This could lead to difficulties in individual companies, but: "Health must take priority over productivity and profit expectations. " Company hygiene concepts must be maintained or reactivated, even if there are currently no clear guidelines from politicians. "With a view to the fall, now is the time to take the necessary precautions - for example by installing or retrofitting ventilation systems," said Urban.

At the Fischer Group from Waldachtal (Freudenstadt district), which is known for its dowels, among other things, the sickness rate in the first half of 2022 was almost two percentage points higher than in the same period last year at 4.9%. "We believe that coronavirus accounts for the majority of illnesses and absences," explained CEO Marc-Sven Mengis. In the administrative areas, employees with mild cases often work remotely. In production, however, this is not possible. "We have capacity problems in some areas," admitted Mengis. Vacation jobbers and temporary workers are intended to bridge this gap.

How the companies are reacting

The automotive supplier PWO from Oberkirch (Ortenau district) currently has a sickness rate similar to that of July 2021. Compared to 2020 and 2019, however, this is almost a third more, explained a spokeswoman. "A significant part of our sickness rate is due to Covid." Production is being managed particularly carefully on individual bottleneck machines. The company expects the sickness rate to rise after the vacation period.

The healthcare company Fresenius reported that there were corona-related staff shortages at the plants of dialysis subsidiary Fresenius Medical Care and liquid medicine provider Fresenius Kabi. However, these were limited and did not affect production and delivery capacity "to any significant extent", according to the DAX-listed company. In recent years, its hospitals in particular had suffered severely from the pandemic. The subsidiary Helios, which has around 90 clinics in Germany, is now observing an increasing number of coronavirus infections again, it said. "If operations do have to be postponed, these are elective procedures, i.e. not medically necessary."

Meanwhile, Darmstadt-based pharmaceutical and specialty chemicals company Merck has not recorded any coronavirus-related restrictions at its plants. Although it has observed rising infection rates among its workforce, it has so far succeeded in "maintaining production and delivery capacity" thanks to protective measures. The Dax Group continues to rely on basic protection, including mandatory masks indoors if the minimum distance is not maintained and tests for employees.

Employers in Lower Saxony are more cautious. The automotive and mechanical engineering supplier Continental, for example, stated that the overall sickness rate in Germany is currently "at about the same level as last year". The safety standards, protection rules and hygiene concepts introduced since the start of the pandemic remain in place and are being adapted as necessary based on the recommendations and measures of the Robert Koch Institute. Staff absences due to illness are "already taken into account in staff deployment planning".

The steel producer Salzgitter also recorded a renewed increase in coronavirus infections and quarantine orders within the workforce. Production is ensured on the basis of forward-looking resource planning. "Thanks to the dedication and flexibility of our employees, we are well equipped to manage the challenges posed by the pandemic," it says.

There has also been a slight increase in sick leave at screw manufacturer Würth, said CEO Friedmann. He is not worried about this at the moment, only to the extent that he is asking himself: "Man, what will it be like when it gets cooler again?" If the sickness rate increases noticeably, Würth will "of course return to the mask requirement".