Daycare centers are sources of infection - a study by the AOK recently showed.
In Munich, 352 educators have contracted Covid-19 since September, 236 children had a positive test.
And yet there is no obligation for educators to wear an FFP2 mask in the daycare centers.
As the Department for Education and Sport confirms at the request of our newspaper, staff in day-care centers are only allowed to wear a textile mouth and nose cover.
There are also no further considerations beyond the one-time tranche to equip the staff in the daycare centers with an additional contingent of masks.
As reported, all municipal employees will be given a one-off tranche.
The SPD and the Greens now want to make enough masks available for the plenum on Wednesday with an urgent application so that the daycare staff can voluntarily equip themselves with masks at work.
How practical is it to wear FFP2 masks in daycare centers?
AWO boss Julia Sterzer says: "We ordered five masks for each employee because the contacts in daycare or refugee work are more intensive than in any business." There are certainly many who have problems wearing them for long periods of time.
In addition, there is the recommendation to pause for 30 minutes after 75 minutes from wearing.
"We therefore recommend switching between FFP2 and other masks and switching between activities, sometimes closer to the children, sometimes with documentation or the like."
Overall, however, there were no frequent outbreaks at the AWO.
The chains of infection could always have been broken quickly.
"Nevertheless, the staff is under great tension, many are naturally afraid of getting infected, which is really very stressful." It is therefore conceivable that more FFP2 masks will be issued in February.
The Greens and the SPD now want to help.
In an application, they request the city to provide FFP2 masks for their employees in particularly exposed areas as a voluntary service for voluntary use.
The administration is also to start negotiations with the independent organizations on the reimbursement of costs for the issue of FFP2 masks.
SPD City Councilor Lena Odell said: “I do not consider compulsory masks in daycare centers to be very effective, since it would only affect adults anyway.” If you leave the decision on the FFP2 mask to the educators, “then they can do better themselves protect".
The CSU sees it similarly, City Councilor Beatrix Burkhardt said: “Even educators who want to wear the masks continuously should be provided with additional masks if possible.
We would like to see this regulation also for private institutions. "
Green councilor Angelika Pilz-Strasser said that an obligation could not be implemented for reasons of labor law.
“Nevertheless, an FFP2 mask is of course more useful than a conventional mask.
We want to massively promote this meaningfulness and voluntariness and provide sufficient masks. "
SASCHA KAROWSKI, CARMEN ICK-DIETL