Germany ‘immunity certificates’ - concept

[Branster]

www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-germany-covid-19-immunity-certificates-testing-social-distancing-lockdown-2020-3?r=US&IR=T

I couldn’t see this particular anywhere else in this topic but find it a very interesting avenue which has been mentioned already as an option.
If it works, it would be a very useful tool for gradual release of individuals back into work.
It’s not yet clear if immunity gained through exposure to the virus is long term (some small study in China was mentioned on a news website which I can’t recall, indicated naturally gained immunity could only last 14 days).
It may well be that such certificates are valid for for a short period of time.
But, let’s assume best case scenario, that somehow it can be determined how immune an individual has become. During a transition period, those immune would still mix with with those who haven’t been infected. As it is the case now but we don’t know the current scale because there’s been no immunity testing or any kind of larger scale testing.
What would be a realistic method of preventing ‘immune’ individuals from spreading the virus through touch? It would be impossible to segregate the groups of people within the remaining functioning society outside of homes.
I appreciate transmission of the virus is more prevalent through droplets released from infected people but there is a lot of advice about transmission from touching contaminated surfaces.
What is not at all clear (to me, anyway) , is if touching a contaminated surface (say an infected individual sneezed close to a surface and an ‘immune’ person touches this surface within the time frame the virus remains active on that surface) then touching a non contaminated surface moves the virus to the new surface through the action of touching. If it does and the virus remains active for a period of time then another not yet determined to be immune person can contaminate their hands through touching the second surface then they can potentially introduce the virus to their person by touching their face and potentially become infected.
As long as this ‘immunity’ is present within an individual, it doesn’t matter what this individual does as, in theory, there wouldn’t be any risk to their own person.
But could they still put other non-immune people at risk by going about their daily life?
Does anyone have any clear information or knowledge about this?

My family unit as many other families would, in theory, not be at risk of suffering long term ill effects from infection only on the basis that we are healthy (as in no conditions diagnosed and no symptoms of anything but of course anyone can have a potentially serious undiagnosed condition), fit, active and below the critical age group. But of course, there is absolutely zero guarantee all of us would actually sail trough and come out at the other side if we were to become ill. None knows and there’s no point fretting about it, what will be will be but of course we follow the rules (which are not complicated and are not that hard to follow for now, it’s not like we are in the Goulag for 20 years) because we are not suicidal and we definitely don’t want to spread the virus around to put others at risk. Or we might have had it already. On this basis, I’d hope that once we become or are deemed immune (could take months) we are allowed out to get on with jobs and school alongside many other individuals.

How will immune people avoid the spread of virus through touching surfaces when complete segregation would be impossible. Do we know if currently immune people (as yet not tested) are spreading the virus through touch alone?

I love this idea, I know we don’t know everything about it yet. Surely if you washed, showered and changed your clothes as soon as you went home it would limit vulnerable family members catching it?

Family yes but I was thinking more of the society at large where not yet immune but vulnerable individuals would still be out working and mixing with the qualified immune people.
And also being immune in an environment where the virus is still in circulation does not stop the potential of introducing the virus in the mouth, nose. So there would still be a windows in which an immune individual carries an active virus (mouth, throat and possibly lungs, I’m not sure where antibodies kick in but they wouldn’t work instantly). That individual would cough or sneeze for one reason or another so they could release a number of active viruses. Although I don’t understand if viruses around the throat area can be dislodged mechanically like that, it sounds like those active viruses from the lungs are expelled more but maybe because that’s one clever way for the virus to spread (find final host - lungs, then re-distribute).
We’d still have to be extra, extra careful to reduce the spread. And I suspect some people would feel invincible because they were deemed immune and wouldn’t care about the bigger picture.

We will have to wait and see, i’m hoping this is the answer to the problem but there are so many unknowns about this virus.

I was reading about this yesterday. If they did this I would make every effort to make sure I got Coronavirus so that I could get my certificate and carry on as normal.

What honeybee says is exactly the problem. If you start giving privileges to people who have had it (and I completely understand the logic of that) people will actively start trying to catch it.

Well, it's a problem and it isn't. Darwin might have something to say....

I'm not saying it's something I would do personally, just an issue I saw with it. As OhClover has said, if those privileges involved people getting their lives back to normal it could be quite tempting for some.

I think this is actually a dangerous idea, to be honest.

It does privilege people who have had it, and effectively locks those who have not out of the economy, education and civil participation. It risks creating a two-tier society.

I much prefer the idea of measures at a population level, rather than an individual one, to manage the spread, focus resources on treating those who are ill and shielding those at risk.

I have currently got CV, it is a horrible, horrible virus and the idea that people would wilfully try to get it to gain immunity and be able to work (because we mostly all of us need an income) is horrific.

KatieSun I am really sorry you are suffering so badly with it. I do hope you’ll be back on your feet soon. I mean that.
I think the same current precautions will probably have to be observed in terms of personal hygiene and distancing as much as practically possible to slow down the spread until a solution is found.
You are all right, we simply don’t know enough. There are the odd bits of reporting about Chinese studies, which although done on a small scale are quite surprising. The trouble is that although I have no doubt about their scientific abilities and resources, we simply don’t know if we are getting the full picture as they’d probably be cautious about sharing information. Knowledge is power and the current regime is not without its faults (I can’t put it any more diplomatically that this).
I don’t see this ‘release’ as a privilege. Someone somewhere has got to go back to work at some point. The leisure aspect is negligible but I do accept that, like most things, it could be open to some form of abuse or fraud.
I‘d like it for everyone to be safe and get on with work so that once things start functioning somewhat we can then contemplate the leisure aspect.

How do we know it’s’safe’ to be out once you’ve had the virus?

I don’t fancy being a guinea pig as to how long any immunity might last.