Wearing mouth and nose protection has become a habit.
How long does the mask requirement still apply?
Experts see it as "an option" even after Corona.
Since April 27, 2020, a mask requirement has been in effect at selected locations in Germany.
The federal government wants to get the corona pandemic under control.
Because wearing mouth and nose protection probably has a positive side effect, the requirement also seems conceivable in some areas after Covid-19.
Berlin -
Mouth and nose protection
is now part of the standard repertoire in everyday life.
Keys, wallet, cell phone - and mask.
The things we think about when we leave the house have changed in pandemic times.
It has been mandatory to wear a mask for weeks when shopping, on the bus and train and in highly frequented places, and recently even medical masks such as FFP2 masks have often been required.
Corona: Mask requirement as a measure to contain the virus - also conceivable after Covid-19?
How long the
mask requirement will
still apply in Germany cannot currently be estimated.
However, it can be assumed that the bid will not be canceled too quickly.
The federal government and science always emphasize that wearing a
mouth and nose protection
in addition to the general hygiene rules such as keeping your distance makes sense.
Specifically, this means that the
mask requirement
is especially necessary in places where the minimum distance cannot be maintained.
The
mask requirement
therefore does its part to ensure that the pandemic in the Federal Republic can be contained.
But what about when
Covid-19 is
over?
Will
mouthguards
then still be mandatory in Germany
?
Dirk Heinrich, federal chairman of the Virchowbund, the association of resident doctors in Germany, thinks this is possible at least in some places.
Corona: Because of the mask requirement?
"We see significantly fewer infections in the practices"
Because, as the doctor
explains
to the
world
, due to the protective measures in place, fewer diseases apart from
Covid-19
can be observed.
"We see significantly fewer infections in the practices, but due to the
Covid-19
pandemic, a significantly higher need for treatment and advice."
Specifically, it is about decreased flu or diarrheal illnesses, which can be attributed to more frequent hand washing and is probably
justified
by the
mask requirement
, as Klaus Reinhardt, President of the German Medical Association, explains: "The contact restrictions, the reduced mobility in lockdown and of course compliance of the AHA rules not only contain the corona pandemic, but also make the transmission of other infectious diseases more difficult. "
Corona situation after the pandemic: "Wearing masks in the practices can be an option"
The first doctors are therefore calling for a
mask requirement
to be
adhered to
in practices
even after Corona
, as this could minimize the risk of infection with diseases other
than
Corona.
Medical chief Heinrich sees this proposal from two angles.
“Wearing masks in the practices can be an option,” said the native of Karlsruhe, who does not see this measure as a panacea.
Because practices are "not the source of infections".
From the point of view of the Vichow Association, the
mask
requirement should
therefore apply in particular where there are large gatherings of people - such as in local public transport.
Even after the pandemic?
This question will probably only be discussed in due course.
In Asian countries like China, wearing a mask is largely normal.
Especially in the overcrowded trams, there were
many people with
mouth and nose protection
before
Corona
.
+
A photo from 2003: Face masks have long been part of the street scene in China - to protect against disease, but also against cold, smog and desert sand.
© Peter_Parks / picture alliance
The extent to which this is also conceivable in Germany depends on the willingness of the population.
According to a November survey by the Kantar opinion research institute, 90 percent of Germans consider the mask requirement to be sensible.
The question remains how long.
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