Anyone who was experiencing symptoms were told to call the hotline, where a medical expert would determine whether the person would need to be tested or not. If this were the case, a mobile team of healthcare professionals arrived to take a test in people's homes, the Independent reported.
This service was widely advertised and made available from the start of the crisis.
Clemens Martin Auer, a top health advisor to the government, told The Independent: "The key was to keep them out of the hospitals, where a lot of transmissions could take place, and where it could spread quickly, and that really made a difference for us."
But there were still issues with the system, with complaints about long waiting times to get through on the phone and to get results sent back.
Source: The Independent