Holidaymakers returning home, cross-border workers driving back and forth, and children sitting in classrooms: this "mixing up" of people is what leads to a rise in infections, according to Muller.
"New social contacts can result in a new infection chain. That's normal in epidemiology. On top of that comes the fact that temperatures dropped 5 to 10 degrees these past weeks, meaning we tend to close more windows and huddle up inside with close contact to others."
Despite an average of 100 new cases per day, the situation is very different to that of half a year ago, when the health system was nearly overloaded. 50 coronavirus patients occupied intensive care beds in April, compared to just one or two at present
To protect the vulnerable members of society, Muller suggests the concept of a "reverse quarantine": If a grandparent and grandchild live in the same house, and the grandchild tests positive, the grandparent would go to a hotel or other home in the period they could otherwise have infected themselves from the grandchild.
The state should bear these costs, Muller argues. "The costs of a hotel room for a week are much lower than treating a patient in hospital." These measures would also be a significant boost for the hospitality sector.
These are small measures that have a major impact, the virologist explains.
Muller finds that face masks should also be worn when students are seated, and that body temperature should be measured when they enter the classroom. This, again, is a small additional procedure that can have high impact in the long run.
Video report in Luxembourgish:
