In view of the increasing number of corona infections, the medical officers are calling for a return to the mask requirement indoors. “We now need a mask requirement indoors such as supermarkets, shops and public buildings,” said the chairman of the Federal Association of Physicians in the Public Health Service, Johannes Nießen, the editorial network Germany (RND, Tuesday editions).
“It is the turn of the federal states to implement the mask requirement immediately. Otherwise there is a risk of the healthcare system being overloaded and areas with patient-related contact such as clinics being overloaded,” said Nießen. If the incidence climbs above 1000, a mask requirement for bars, gastronomy and restaurants must also be considered.
“Then we actually have an incidence of 3000,” said the head of the association, who assumes that the number of unreported cases is high. Many people no longer went to the doctor to do a PCR test if they suspected corona, but only did one rapid test. “But these are not included in the statistics,” said Nießen. The incidences describe the number of detected infected people per 100,000 inhabitants within seven days.
The head of the German Hospital Society (DKG), Gerald Gass, had also spoken out in favor of the rapid introduction of the obligation to wear masks indoors. In view of the high number of corona infections, the clinics are currently “with their backs to the wall,” he said in an interview. In most clinics, normal operation is already “no longer possible”.
According to the current legal situation, the federal states must decide for themselves whether they want to tighten the mask requirement. The basis for this is the current Infection Protection Act.
The Education and Science Union (GEW) has meanwhile called on the federal and state governments to improve corona protection in schools. “The mantra of the Conference of Ministers of Education (KMK) ‘The schools must remain open’ is correct, but falls far short of the mark,” GEW boss Maike Finnern told the editorial network Germany (RND). “Implementing these goals means that the schools have to be supported and the health protection of everyone involved in schools has to be significantly improved: with prevention and hygiene concepts, but above all with additional staff.”
