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Photo: Bernd von Jutrczenka / dpa
In Asia, face masks were a normal part of the street scene in times of flu at the latest after the first Sars pandemic in 2002/2003.
In January, when the corona pandemic had already begun, the Vice President of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), Lars Schaade, commented on this habit, which is often smiled at in Europe, by saying that it is "in a way an act of courtesy", to wear a mask when sick.
Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) announced: "A face mask is not necessary because the virus cannot be transmitted through the breath." That was known to be wrong.
Christian Stöcker, arrow to the right
Photo: SPIEGEL ONLINE
Born 1973, is a cognitive psychologist and has been a professor at the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (HAW) since autumn 2016.
There he is responsible for the "Digital Communication" course.
Before that, he headed the Netzwelt department at SPIEGEL ONLINE.
On January 12, Spahn gave a speech in the Bundestag on the government's corona strategy.
Please make a note of the word "strategy".
It is defined as »fundamental, long-term behavior (...) to achieve long-term goals«.
Spahn said in the speech that one could "not completely rule out" that a global pandemic was developing.
Twelve days later he said, referring to developments in Italy: "Corona has arrived in Europe as an epidemic."
On February 26, his ministry said it was "planned at European level to procure protective equipment for medical personnel."
Of masks for the population: no question.
Personally, I was busy writing a book on exponential developments at the time and found the contagion curves from China and Italy extremely worrying.
I started searching for face mask masks on the internet and found that the higher quality FFP2 and FFP3 masks were completely sold out everywhere.
Others had evidently developed a different approach to the subject.
Did you know something that the Minister and the Robert Koch Institute did not know?
Masks sent to relatives
I ordered a completely overpriced fifty pack of surgical masks and got hold of a few last FFP3 masks in a provincial hardware store.
I then sent them to older relatives with precise instructions.
They are doing very well to this day, thanks for asking.
RKI President Lothar Wieler said at the end of February on the subject of masks in everyday life: There was "no evidence that this is helpful in any way."
At this point in time, that was clearly absurd: If masks protect medical personnel, why don't they protect them in everyday life?
And why do doctors actually wear surgical masks in the operating theater?
Perhaps that has something to do with the fact that people may breathe out germs?
Wondered that some no longer want to believe anything
On March 10, Spahn met with medical device manufacturers.
According to the ministry, "hospitals and medical practices" need protective equipment.
There is still no talk of masks for the population.
On March 11th, Spahn said that a surgical mask protects "very manageable, to put it that way".
At this point in time, the statements by the federal government and the RKI on the subject of masks had long ceased to be driven by facts: the aim was to prevent another mask run so that the scarce goods were not bought away from those who needed them particularly urgently, the medical staff .
But that was not communicated: They preferred to sell the population for stupid.
Later, one was surprised that parts of the population would rather not believe anything anymore when it comes to fighting corona.
On March 22nd, the top medical journal "The Lancet" published a study with this sentence: "Universal use of face masks should be considered if the supply allows it." Even then I was terribly aware of the fuss of epidemiologists and the government in excited about this question.
At least now, a real "strategy" would have included masks
For a long time there was no longer a problem of knowledge, but a problem of procurement.
It was absolutely clear that simple masks can protect others, at least, and FFP2 masks can protect you from infection.
Christian Drosten also recognized the former for the first time in the NDR podcast on March 23.
At the latest after the publication of the »Lancet« study, the federal government should have done everything to have high-quality masks produced in sufficient quantities to supply the entire population with them, and as quickly as possible.
That would have been a "strategy".
And that was 10 months ago.
Grotesque-looking excuses
Instead, various excuses that now seem grotesque were offered.
Masks give those who wear them a "false sense of security," for example.
It even came from the World Health Organization.
more on the subject
Combating the corona crisis: Bavaria introduces mandatory FFP2 masks in local transport and supermarkets
Icon: Spiegel Plus Data analysis on corona deaths: The tolerated catastrophe by Holger Dambeck and Patrick Stotz
New regulation in Bavaria: Where can I get safe FFP2 masks from Claus Hecking
At the beginning of April, the RKI then changed its communication strategy and recommended everyday masks.
On April 17, Saxony was the first federal state to make a mask requirement - but if you look at the number of infections today, this apparently did not lead to an effective change in behavior in the entire population of the state.
There may be a connection with the election results there of the AfD, the party of mask refusers.
Plague for those who wear glasses
In the coming months, however, various top politicians from other parties were also noticed by their mask sloppiness.
Christian Lindner (FDP) was photographed when he hugged a Belarusian honorary consul after visiting a restaurant, the mask under his chin.
Friedrich Merz (CDU) walked out of a Hamburg hotel without a mask, Armin Laschet (CDU) once had his nose hanging out of his mask, and sometimes he sat on a plane without any mask.
Markus Söder got into trouble in the Bavarian state parliament because he forgot to put the mask back on when leaving the lectern.
Even for this scene, which took place at the beginning of November, Söder wore a fabric "everyday mask" printed with a Bavarian diamond pattern.
As is well known, these masks have many disadvantages: They are not as tight as medical FFP2 masks, so they provide little protection for the wearer.
They often sit badly and the nose tends to slip out, which has led to hundreds of thousands of annoying situations and public conflicts.
And if a flexible nose clip is not sewn in, they are a nuisance for glasses wearers, because the glasses then permanently steam up.
Lockdown yes, mask strategy no
None of these problems exist with FFP2 masks.
They sit tight and, if they are worn correctly, which is truly no rocket science, offer acceptable protection for the wearer and the environment.
They are also no more uncomfortable to wear than "everyday masks," on the contrary.
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Christian Stocker
We are the experiment: our world is changing so breathtakingly that we stagger from crisis to crisis.
We have to learn to manage this tremendous acceleration.
Publisher: Karl Blessing Verlag
Number of pages: 384
Publisher: Karl Blessing Verlag
Number of pages: 384
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There were seven full months between the beginning of April, when the RKI decided to recommend a mask, and Söder's diamond mask appearance.
And the shortage of masks was long gone.
This leads us to the crucial question: How can it be that the high-tech nation Germany has not managed to provide the population with the cheapest, demonstrably effective means of containing the pandemic in more than half a year?
How can it be that masks were only given out free of charge shortly before Christmas, and then only to risk groups?
Lockdown yes, mask strategy no, continue.
That cost human lives
How can it be that Bavaria now, a full year after the start of the pandemic, declares an FFP2 mask requirement, but even homeless people and Hartz IV recipients are expected to finance this elementary protection themselves?
How can it be that these masks are not available everywhere free of charge for everyone who cannot pay?
Vaccines were developed and approved faster than making this simple, proven, comparatively dirt-cheap remedy against the virus available across the board and unbureaucratically.
And even today, a year after the start of the pandemic, there is neither a uniform supply nor a nationwide uniform regulation on the subject.
To be clear, that cost lives, who knows how many.
Looking back on the pandemic, this simple circumstance will one day probably be regarded as the greatest and most momentous failure of German corona policy.
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