Maskgate

While Germany's somehow successful fight against the pandemic is praised by many countries, we still started it badly. I am talking about the wearing of face masks.

Although in Asiatic countries, face masks are standard and proven effective in preventing airborne infections, people wearing a mouth-nose-coverage in western countries were rarely seen at the beginning of 2020.

When the first wave of the pandemic swept through Europe, the Robert-Koch Institute (RKI) president, Lothar Wieler, said at the end of February on the subject of masks in everyday life, "There is no evidence whatsoever that this is helpful in any way."

On March 11, our Minister for Health, Jens Spahn, said that surgical mouthguards or medical masks provide "only manageable protection, to put it that way."

These statements by the federal government and the RKI on wearing face masks were not driven by facts: The aim was to prevent a run on masks so that the scarce commodity stayed reserved for those who needed it most urgently, the medical staff.

At that time, face masks were known to protect efficiently against aerosols contaminated with the Coronavirus. On March 22, a study in the medical journal, The Lancet stated, "Universal use of face masks should be considered. "This was not communicated: we, the people of Germany, we're screwed!

It was perfectly clear that wearing an Alltagsmaske (everyday mask, mostly homemade) could at least protect other people to a certain extent. Germany's Fauci, Christian Drosten, acknowledged this fact for the first time in his famous radio podcast on March 23, adding that FFP2 masks could even protect oneself from being infected by others.

Red Baron proudly wearing an Alltagsmaske on a streetcar on April 10.
This "elegant" everyday mask was produced by a Turkish tailor in my quarter.

Only at the beginning of April did the RKI change its strategy and recommend "everyday masks." On April 17, Saxony became the first German state to make masks mandatory with some success regarding the Coronavirus spread.

Above: Medical or surgical mask
Below: FFP2 mask certified in the European Economic Area (CE)

So by now, it is common knowledge that wearing appropriate masks reduces the risk of infection with Corona. Last Tuesday, in a video conference with all 16 state governors, our federal government took this into account. It imposed wearing medical or FFP2 masks in public places, i.e., public transport, hospitals, administrative buildings, and supermarkets. 

 
There were nine months between the beginning of April when the RKI came around to recommend masks. This leads to the crucial question: How can it be that Germany has not managed to provide the population with the cheapest, demonstrably effective means of containing the pandemic in more than nine months? How many lives could have been saved by wearing masks?

There is always at least one governor marching to a different drummer. Bavarian Markus Söder declared an obligation for an FFP2 mask in all public places where people cannot observe a sufficient distance.

Here is a defeatist remark by the president of the RKI, "FFP2 masks are masks used for medical, occupational safety. They have high efficiency if they're worn correctly and if the people who wear them are well educated about how to wear them."

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