The announcement that an FFP2 mask would be required in retail and local public transport from next Monday, January 18, surprised not only people.
The pharmacists and retailers would also have liked a little more time to prepare.
District - "Two out of three customers want the FFP2 masks," says Günther Rath, who runs the
Kreuz pharmacy in Penzberg
.
"Extremely busy" had been going on since Tuesday.
But not only because of the upcoming FFP2 mask requirement.
There were also many inquiries that the pharmacy team had to answer because of the vouchers that older people were supposed to receive from their health insurance companies in January.
Rath has enough masks in stock.
“If it continues like this, I'll have to order some,” he explains.
Joachim Lippl in the
Penzberg city pharmacy
also notices that demand has increased again
.
"The only difference to spring is that there are now enough masks," he says.
But the regulation makes sense.
"The masks offer more protection than the medical ones," says Lippl.
A new delivery of FFP2 masks came the very next day
The
train station pharmacy in Weilheim
ordered more FFP2 masks on Tuesday, as Lydia Ergardt describes.
"The rush was really very big." The delivery of the "few thousand masks" arrived yesterday.
She learned from pharmacy customers that, for example,
all masks
at the
Rossmann
drugstore
in Weilheim are out of stock.
Another customer confirms this to the local newspaper: "The employee said that all FFP2 masks are out of stock."
After the rush on Tuesday, Philipp Brugger, head of the
Weilheimer Ammer pharmacy
and the
St. Pölten pharmacy
, also ordered more masks.
He expected delivery towards the end of the week.
Although he has many masks anyway due to the voucher campaign, "the demand was already very high," reports Brugger.
Peißenberg: Pharmacists meet customers with prices
The situation is similar in Peißenberg: "We were pretty torn yesterday," says Philipp Kircher, owner of the
St. Ulrich pharmacy
.
It would have been nice if the pharmacies had been given advance notice, says the pharmacist.
So that everyone can also afford the masks, Kircher comes to meet customers with the price.
“But I don't have infinite leeway either,” he says.
In any case, he has enough FFP2 masks - “right up to the roof,” explains Kircher and laughs.
He had teamed up with colleagues in advance because of the coupon campaign and bought many of the masks that are now coveted.
The
Karwendel pharmacy in Weilheim has also
prepared
itself well with the vouchers sent
.
“We currently have enough stocks,” says owner Nina Hasenbalg-Glas.
On Tuesday, however, the phone no longer stood still: On the one hand, there was the question of whether there were still enough masks.
On the other hand, whether the elderly can get the coupons in pharmacies.
“Of course we had to explain a lot,” reports Hasenbalg-Glas.
Hasenbalg-Glas distributed free masks in front of the pharmacy back in December.
Only a few customers in the supermarket asked for FFP2 masks
However, she thinks it is a shame that the elderly now have to pay for their masks themselves.
“The coupons are sent in pieces,” and not everyone will get their voucher by Monday.
The coveted FFP2 masks are not only available in pharmacies.
They also sell supermarkets.
“We only had a few there,” says Ludwig Fink, who runs the
Edeka store on Kanalstrasse
in Weilheim.
A new delivery arrived yesterday evening and customers can buy masks again from today.
If these are sold soon, Fink can deliver supplies within 24 hours - as long as his supplier can handle it.
The onslaught was limited at Fink: "Only a few individual customers asked about it."
+
This is what it will look like from Monday: Ludwig Fink will inform Edeka customers of the obligation to use FFP2 masks.
© EMANUEL GRONAU
“In any case, I think the regulation makes sense,” says Fink.
At the weekend he will hang up a sign that indicates the imminent FFP2 license requirement.
“From Monday I will be at the entrance myself and point out the FFP2 masks to the customers,” says Fink.
Anyone who does not adhere to it will be expelled from the shop.
