With a view to the corona requirements for autumn, different expert assessments of a broader use of FFP2 masks have become clear. The immunologist Leif-Erik Sander from the Berlin Charité said in a Bundestag hearing that FFP2 masks could effectively prevent the transmission of viruses over a long period of time if they were worn well.
He believes that many people are now well versed in this outside of the medical field. In autumn, a reduction in virus transmission is significant because the infection process can be negatively influenced and other measures can certainly be prevented.
The Hamburg virologist Jonas Schmidt-Chanasit said in the hearing of the health committee that FFP2 masks have a significantly higher protective effect for trained medical staff who have very frequent contact with corona patients. The decisive factor, however, is the correct use, which is largely not the case in the general population. For them, an FFP2 mask requirement, especially in air and long-distance traffic, cannot be justified.
For the autumn, the federal cabinet had launched a draft that provides for more extensive rules on masks and tests from October 1st to April 7th, 2023. Among other things, an FFP2 mask requirement in airplanes and long-distance trains should apply nationwide – so far simpler surgical masks have also been possible there. The federal states should also be able to impose further protective requirements and expand them in a critical situation. In the hearing, Rolf Rosenbrock from the Berlin School of Public Health proposed a large information campaign to teach many people how to wear masks correctly.
