About us

We want our lives back

We, the founders of this initiative, are a group of people who want to challenge the helplessness and ignorance of the policymakers.

We feel we have a responsibility for the present and for the future. COVID-19 is changing our world, and the life of every one of us. Most people simply want “their lives back”.

COVID-19 has not left a single aspect of our lives untouched. Normal daily activities like going to the movies with friends, taking with our kids to the playground, or having Sunday lunch with nana and grandad and the whole family were suddenly no longer possible, as lockdowns were put in place. While since then some of these activities are allowed again, many restrictions still apply, and the uncomfortable feeling has not gone. We are all scared that the modest freedoms we had been longing for will be cut again as soon as the number of infections begins to rise again.

We do not want a second lockdown, and we want the consequences of the recession that results from the first one to remain manageable. That can only happen if we stay alert and agile, despite the COVID-19 crisis. Therefore, we need a robust early warning system, with which we can quickly identify new flare-ups of the infection, and rapidly constrain further spreading of the virus.

There is a well-known, proven approach in science that can be the basis of such an early warning system: representative, randomized testing on all people – the sick, the healthy, the immune, superspreaders and anyone around emerging hotspots.

COVID-19 matters to all of us – in the industrialized world, in the growth countries and in the developing countries. Our economies are so intertwined that we can only find a way out of the crisis with an effective instrument that we all use.

We want to convince the policymakers

The goal of our initiative is to persuade the policymakers of the profound need for such a testing regime.

The voices of experts from science and business, and indeed the voices of all citizens, provide support to the people who are close to decision-makers, to pursue this demand. We want to create the political pressure with which the first step in this direction can be made, to ensure that we can find a way out of the COVID-19 crisis thanks to representative, randomized testing.

We are independent

Our initiative is supported by the founders through financial contributions and voluntary effort. The people who are giving their support to the initiative have no material interest in the implementation of a broad testing regime. Our engagement to advocate a representative, randomized testing approach stems from our desire to regain normality for ourselves and for future generations.

  • «We need more evidence to support our decision making, if we want to build a better future!»

    Alexis Johann
    Managing Partner at FehrAdvice & Partners AG

  • «Knowledge is key to combat COVID-19. »

    Astrid Furrer
    Member of the Zurich Cantonal Council

  • «Decisions need to be based on data!»

    Ulrike Malmendier
    Edward and Mollie Arnold Professor of Finance at the University of California at Berkeley and Professor of Economics at Haas School of Business

  • «We need to balance economic concerns and health issues. »

    Andreas Herrmann
    Professor of Business at the University of St. Gallen (HSG), Director of the Institute for Customer Insight (ICI-HSG)

  • «I think it’s a good idea.»

    Alexander Scheer
    Managing Lawyer at Scheer Rechtsanwalt GmbH Vienna

  • «Because testing and tracing are the right thing to do to combat the pandemic.»

    Iris Bohnet
    Albert Pratt Professor of Business and Government and Academic Dean at the Harvard Kennedy School

  • «We need more reliable samples and in-depth analyses to fight covid-19.»

    Gudrun Sander
    Adjunct Professor of Business Administration with special emphasis on Diversity Management at University of St. Gallen

  • «Because its the only way to get evidence! Only evidence can lead to appropriate actions.»

    Reto Blum
    Founder & CEO Human Decision Design GmbH, Owner Decision Architect Reto Blum

  • «Testing is an important element in reducing the impact of the new coronavirus.»

    Johannes Haushofer
    Professor at Princeton University

  • «I support this petition because we need global initiatives to make the world a better place for everyone – we are in this together.»

    Bertil Tungodden
    Professor, Director of FAIR – The Choice Lab NHH Norwegian School of Economics

  • «We need data, otherwise we are navigating with a blindfold.»

    Koen Smets
    Organization Development Professional, Adj. Asst. Prof. at Saint Louis University, Senior Advisor BVA Nudge Unit

  • «We need more data in order to finetune measures that minimize socio-economical impact while protecting the public health system. »

    Esther-Mirjam de Boer
    Owner and CEO at GetDiversity GmbH

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