Can a mouthguard requirement in Germany be a way out of the corona crisis? They already exist in Austria. Söder, Spahn and Laschet are skeptical.
- Germany is discussing a requirement to wear a mask to combat the corona virus .
- Will all Germans soon wear protective masks in public?
- Corresponding regulations already exist in Austria and Jena .
- The guide to our corona virus reporting *. Here you can find current Corona case numbers from Germany * and the world as well as a Germany map of the Corona numbers *.
ARD daily topics: With mouth protection in front of the camera - appeal to the audience
Update April 1, 2020: On Tuesday, several influential prime ministers had spoken out against a mask requirement in Germany at this time. In addition to Markus Söder and Winfried Kretschmann , NRW Prime Minister Armin Laschet also declined. He currently does not consider such an obligation to be necessary. The priority is currently to get more protective masks for medical personnel. Health Minister Jens Spahn also sees it this way: “In the current situation, I see no need for an obligation, but I see a great willingness to show solidarity in order to protect others. And that is a good signal. "
SWR editor Kristina Böker presented a different perspective in the ARD daily topics . Yes, it looks strange to walk around with a face mask and she "hesitated three days". It remains a “strange feeling that fits March 2020”. But now she is wearing the mouthguard sewn by her children.
After her personal introduction to her comment, even with a mask at the beginning, there was an appeal from society as a whole. At first, school closings and exit restrictions were considered too drastic, but life was completely turned upside down. "We are currently foregoing fundamental rights and a large part of economic life in favor of health protection to a considerable extent." It was only a "small step" to wear masks now. Wherever it is too narrow for the minimum distance, for example in buses and trains or in supermarkets. "Whether appeal or duty - I would stick to it," said Boker.
"Compared to the many restrictions that already exist, this is only a small step for me. (...) Whether appeal or duty - I would stick to it." Kristina Böker (@ kriscons1) comments on #mundschutz - mit Mundschutz. (red) pic.twitter.com/Q5yjEQxebs
- Tagesthemen (@tagesthemen) March 31, 2020Is the mouthguard obligation coming in Germany? Söder speaks of "emergency" - Kretschmann: "completely wrong"
Update 1 p.m .: Baden-Württemberg's Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann also declines to wear protective masks in Germany. It would be "completely wrong" to create an additional shortage, since masks are currently urgently needed for the medical sector.
A scientific study has now looked at when the peak and possibly an end of the corona pandemic in Germany could have been reached. Meanwhile, the number of corona cases in Baden-Württemberg continues to rise.
Mask requirement in Germany? Prime Minister Söder fears hamster purchases
Update, 12:34 pm: Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder spoke on Tuesday on the subject of respiratory masks . In doing so, he also reacted to the newly introduced obligation in Austria. Söder does not consider a mask requirement in Germany to be correct. According to him, there was also agreement on this point at the federal level.
Accordingly, such an obligation could lead to hamster purchases of respirators. That would be counter-productive, since healthcare personnel in particular need medical and high-quality masks. The important masks could then be missing here because they would be hoarded elsewhere. "Everyone is currently in agreement: When it comes to masks, doctors and nurses currently need masks because the risk of infection is higher here," said Söder.
Söder does not consider a duty in supermarkets, as it now exists in Austria, to be necessary. It would be more important to him that masks are available in offices or places where people would have to work together for a long time.
Nevertheless, the Bavarian Prime Minister also made it clear that it is currently difficult to get exactly these high-quality masks on the world market. Söder spoke of an "emergency".
An insider had already reported on Monday that increasing numbers of buyers from the United States were trying to outperform European masks from Asia on the world market.
At the same press conference, Olaf Scholz said that they now wanted to produce masks in Germany as well and that companies wanted to offer financial incentives to convert production to this product. There are already a number of manufacturers who are ready to produce masks. "This can now happen very quickly, and we are in the process of implementing it with great emphasis."
In return, the federal government gives "financial commitments that are necessary so that companies are now at a certain risk, convert their production and manufacture things that they may not manufacture forever," said Scholz. He had already discussed this with Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn (CDU).
In addition, the Federal Government is now also cooperating with globally active companies when it comes to purchasing protective equipment, so that procurement is improved.
#Corona virus Germany: Press conference with @Markus_Soeder and @OlafScholz on current developments in the # Corona crisis https://t.co/AJh0WxLp3J
- phoenix (@phoenix_de) March 31, 2020Update, 11.40 a.m .: Markus Söder will be speaking live in a press conference here shortly. * He may also comment on a possible protective mask requirement.
Original article, 8:01 a.m .: Berlin / Munich - Will we Germans soon wear all mouthguards in public to curb the spread of the corona virus? As of Wednesday, Austria is obliged to wear mouth and nose protection. The masks are distributed in front of the supermarkets. In the medium term, there should be a mouth protection requirement everywhere in the public. The masks are used in particular for third-party protection, that is, so as not to infect others unconsciously, provided that the virus is already being unwittingly carried.
Mask requirement in Germany: Jena is the first city to make mouthguards compulsory
The city of Jena also follows a similar path. Starting next week, it will be the first German city to make a protective mask compulsory, for example in local public transport or in buildings with a lot of public traffic. Shawls or scarves are also possible, provided they cover the nose and mouth. The town hall “urges” the population to sew protective masks themselves.
Virologists have also suggested wearing protective masks in public. In his NDR podcast, virologist Christian Drosten spoke of the fact that neckerchiefs can also be useful as protection against infection * from others. In his MDR podcast, his colleague Alexander Kekulé designed an exit scenario * according to which the Germans would have to wear appropriate masks in public for months.
Is the protective mask compulsory in Germany? Söder evades the question in the morning magazine
Is this the first step towards a Germany-wide protective mask requirement? Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder avoided the question on Tuesday morning in the morning magazine of ARD and ZDF . According to Söder, no such obligation is currently planned. The most important thing at the moment is to adhere to the minimum distance.
Germany first needed more masks, “namely the high-quality masks, the medically perfect masks for all of our staff in hospitals and medical practices. That alone is missing. That is why it is important that we do not start by discussing an obligation, but rather procurement. ”Söder advocated“ national emergency production ”.
Federal government warns of "false sense of security" when wearing a mask
The spokesman for the federal government, Steffen Seibert , was reluctant to respond to the request on Monday. Such protection is "perhaps a useful addition to the already applicable hygiene rules," said Seibert. However, this should not lead to "a wrong feeling of security" and the rules such as keeping your distance, washing your hands and avoiding contacts would no longer be observed.
A spokesman for the Federal Ministry of Health, on the other hand, said that the use of such mouth-nose masks could be considered particularly when considering exit scenarios from the currently applicable corona measures.
The SPD health expert Karl Lauterbach told the editorial network Germany (RND): "From a medical point of view, I personally think such a provision makes a lot of sense." The importance of masks to curb the spread of the coronavirus was initially greatly underestimated. However, the prerequisite is "that there are enough masks and that they are not missing for the medical staff".
Masks would have to be prescribed by federal states or local health authorities
According to the RND report, such a mandatory mask would be legally possible in Germany. However, it would have to be ordered by the federal states or the local health authorities. According to RND research, corresponding plans would not yet be running in the countries.
Is cell phone monitoring coming in Germany? A virologist warns of “pseudo-security” and calls such a plan “madness”. A man from the particularly affected Heinsberg spat on an officer during a police operation and shouted: "I have Corona!"
likes / dpa
* Merkur.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network
Rubric list image: © Screenshot ARD
