Supermarkets and discounters: Because the Corona rule falls - experts warn of an increased risk of infection
Created: 03/13/2022, 14:03
By: Lukas Einkammerer
The mask requirement in supermarkets is to be lifted on March 20.
Although many should be happy about it, Corona experts are already warning.
Munich – Two years after the start of the corona pandemic, many would certainly be ready to finally put an end to the topic.
Finally, the Omicron variant has proven to be more harmless compared to the previous variants.
In addition, the Ukraine conflict is currently a completely overriding topic.
Unfortunately, things are still not allowed to be seen quite so loosely.
Due to the rapidly increasing number of infections, there is still a serious situation - which could become even worse with the upcoming relaxation of the corona rules.
Corona expert warns: Vaccination protection could decrease
In an interview with
bild.de
, the Secretary General of the German Society for Immunology (DGfI), Carsten Watzl, is now concerned.
The protection provided by the booster vaccination at Omikron should no longer be as effective as it was with the far more dangerous Delta variant.
Especially in older people whose last vaccination was more than three months ago, it should only be about 50 percent.
Nevertheless, the corona vaccination is still extremely important.
"While the protection against infection decreases within months, the protection against serious illness lasts much longer, probably for years," emphasizes Carsten Watzl to
bild.de.
"Because it is not so much the short-term antibodies that are responsible for this protection, but, among other things, long-lived plasma cells of the immune system."
Shopping without a mask is already possible again in some European countries.
In this country, too, the mask requirement in supermarkets is to be eliminated from next week.
© IMAGO/Belga
Supermarkets and discounters: risk of infection after the rules are relaxed
After extensive easing of the corona regulations had already been introduced in other European countries, some restrictions are now to be lifted in this country as well.
Masks will no longer have to be worn in supermarkets from March 20th, which should be a relief for many shoppers.
However, the end of the mask requirement could also mean an increased risk of infection, as Carsten Watzl further explains.
Because despite an often mild course of the omicron variant, it can still be dangerous - especially for people with a weakened immune system.
There could therefore be a serious risk of infection in the mask-free supermarkets.
"If the other customers are actually no longer wearing masks, people with a weakened immune system can only protect themselves with their own FFP2 mask," advises Carsten Watzl.
"Then it should fit well."
Being able to do the weekly shopping without a mask sounds great, but when there is a large rush, it is certainly not wrong to still go through the rows of shelves with a face mask at Rewe, Aldi and Co.
Because at the end of the day, one thing counts above all: Health comes first.
(le)
