Mary Wilson
New member
Philip Oltermann in Berlin
Mon 18 Jan 2021 11.49 EST
Germany is weighing up following Austria and Bavaria’s lead in making it compulsory to wear full protective filter masks on public transport and in shops, as the country remains on high alert about the impact of possible coronavirus mutations.
The Austrian chancellor, Sebastian Kurz, announced on Sunday that wearing single-use filtering facepiece respirator, or FFP2, masks would become mandatory on public transport and in shops from 25 January, as the Alpine state moves to extend its national lockdown until 7 February.
... When fitted properly, FFP2 masks promise to filter out at least 94% of particles but are also more expensive, usually retailing at between €2 and €5 per mask.
... Questions around the availability of FFP2 masks, which are equivalent to N95 filtering facepiece masks in the United States and the KN95 standard in China, have also yet to be answered.
In Germany, the government has since 15 December sent out vouchers for FFP2 masks to 34.1 million citizens aged over 60 or with a history of illness such as cancer, with the aim of supplying 15 masks to every person in that category before the end of January.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...andatory-ffp2-masks-in-shops-and-on-transport
Mon 18 Jan 2021 11.49 EST
Germany is weighing up following Austria and Bavaria’s lead in making it compulsory to wear full protective filter masks on public transport and in shops, as the country remains on high alert about the impact of possible coronavirus mutations.
The Austrian chancellor, Sebastian Kurz, announced on Sunday that wearing single-use filtering facepiece respirator, or FFP2, masks would become mandatory on public transport and in shops from 25 January, as the Alpine state moves to extend its national lockdown until 7 February.
... When fitted properly, FFP2 masks promise to filter out at least 94% of particles but are also more expensive, usually retailing at between €2 and €5 per mask.
... Questions around the availability of FFP2 masks, which are equivalent to N95 filtering facepiece masks in the United States and the KN95 standard in China, have also yet to be answered.
In Germany, the government has since 15 December sent out vouchers for FFP2 masks to 34.1 million citizens aged over 60 or with a history of illness such as cancer, with the aim of supplying 15 masks to every person in that category before the end of January.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...andatory-ffp2-masks-in-shops-and-on-transport