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Here’s what you need to know about the new German rules for face masks
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KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany – Medical grade masks will be required across Germany from Monday, but different states have different rules on who can be worn and military officials have not said whether the new requirements will apply on American bases.
Masks that can be worn while shopping, using public transport, going to the doctor, attending religious services or in any public place that may be subject to heavy traffic are FFP2 masks or FFP3, KN95 or N95 masks and surgical masks, also known as OP masks.
FFP2 or KN95 / N95 masks have been compulsory in Bavaria since January 18. The largest state in Germany, home to USAG Bavaria and USAG Ansbach, does not allow surgical masks.
Surgical masks look like inferior masks that do not meet the standards for medical grade face coverings. They must have multiple layers of fabric, a metal spacer that rests on the nose, and indicate on their packaging that they are Type II or III and CE, the German Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices says on its website. .
Type I surgical masks are not medical grade.
FFP2 or FFP3 masks would offer the best protection against the coronavirus. They protect the wearer and those around them from larger particles found in the mouth and nose, called droplets, and smaller particles called aerosols, according to the institute. KN95 or N95 offer the same protection.
The particles can travel about six feet after being exhaled, which is why this has become the standard for social distancing to reduce the risk of infection. Aerosols also travel several meters and linger in the air longer than droplets.
Baden-Württemberg allows surgical masks in most public places, but requires an FFP2 or KN95 / N95 mask in hospitals or nursing homes.
These masks are more expensive than surgical masks which, according to the Institute of Medical Devices, provide less protection against droplets and aerosols.
Sheet masks are only recommended for personal use as the way they filter droplets and aerosols depends on how they are made. Plastic face shields do not filter out particles, according to the institute.
Failure to wear a mask in Rheinland-Pfalz, home to Ramstein and Spangdahlem airbases and many army facilities, can result in a fine of at least 50 euros, according to documents seen by Stars and Stripes.
It is not known whether wearing the wrong mask would also result in a fine or who is allowed to check if a mask meets the new requirements and issue a fine.
But German officials have not shied away in the past from punishing people for breaking the rules of the coronavirus.
In the state of Hesse, which includes USAG Wiesbaden and Frankfurt International Airport, coronavirus fines totaling more than € 1 million were imposed on more than 11,000 people in 2020, the Giessener newspaper reported Anzeiger.
And in the spring, four US soldiers from Rheinland-Pfalz were fined 100 euros each for breaking social distancing laws – they were driving together in a car.
Stars and Stripes reporter Karin Zeitvogel contributed to this report.
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