BERLIN, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Staff in long-distance trains of Deutsche Bahn were not subject to an increased risk of infection with COVID-19, according to an ongoing study of around 1,000 employees published by the German state-owned rail operator on Wednesday.
Only one Deutsche Bahn employee tested positive for COVID-19, according to first results of the study by Deutsche Bahn and the Charite Research Organization (CRO). The aim of the study is to gain scientifically sound findings on the occurrence of infections on trains.
It was important that train staff were "not exposed to an increased risk of falling ill with COVID-19," said Martin Seiler, member of the management board for human resources and legal affairs at Deutsche Bahn.
Train attendants even had the lowest rate of showing antibodies against COVID-19, with only 1.3 percent, according to the study. The figure was more than twice as high for employees without customer contacts such as train drivers and maintenance staff.
The study found that there was "no sign of an increased rate of COVID-19 antibodies which could indicate a possible increased risk of infection on trains" for its train attendants who usually stay significantly longer on trains than passengers.
A second round of testing is scheduled for October and a third round for February next year. In this way, any future changes in the occurrence of infections could also be taken into account, according to Deutsche Bahn.
"We must remain vigilant, but there is no need to worry about rail travel," said Berthold Huber, member of the management board for passenger transport at Deutsche Bahn.
Currently, passenger numbers on Deutsche Bahn trains were only at 40 percent of the trains' capacities. After the lockdown in Germany, there had been a continuous increase, but the trains were far from running at full capacity and there was "enough space on the trains," added Huber. Enditem
