Here’s what you need to know about the new Germany face mask rules
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KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany – Medical-grade masks will be needed in Germany from Monday, but different states have different rules about what can be worn, and military officials have not said whether the new requirements apply to U.S. bases.
Masks that can be worn while shopping, using public transportation, going to the doctor, attending religious services, or in any public venue that is likely to be heavily traded are FFP2 or FFP3 masks, KN95 or N95 masks, and surgical masks. . known as OP masks.
FFP2 or KN95 / N95 masks have been mandatory in Bavaria since 18 January. Germany’s largest state, which is home to USAG Bavaria and USAG Ansbach, does not allow surgical masks.
Surgical masks look similar to lower-grade masks that do not meet the standards for medical facial coverage. They must have multiple layers of material, a metal brace that sits over the nose and says on their packaging that it is type II or III and CE-rated, says the German Federal Institute of Medicine and Medical Devices on its website.
Type I surgical masks are not medical.
FFP2 or FFP3 masks are said to provide the best protection against the coronavirus. They protect the wearer and those nearby from larger particles found in the mouth and nose, called droplets, and from smaller particles called aerosols, the institute says. KN95 or N95 offer the same protection.
Particles can move about six feet after being exhaled, and therefore it has become the measure of social distance to reduce the risk of infection. Aerosols also travel a few meters and linger longer in the air than drops.
Baden-Wuerttemberg allows surgical masks in most public places, but requires an FFP2 or KN95 / N95 mask in hospitals or care homes.
These masks are more expensive than surgical masks, which according to the Institute of Medical Devices are protected to a lesser extent from drops and aerosols.
Cloth masks are only recommended for personal use, as the drops and aerosols depend well on the way they are made. Plastic face shields do not filter out particles, the institute says.
Failure to wear a mask in Rhineland-Palatinate, home to Ramstein and Spangdahlem air bases and numerous military installations could result in a fine of at least 50 euros, according to documents seen by Stars and Stripes.
It is unclear whether wearing the wrong mask also results in a fine, or who is authorized to check whether a mask meets the new requirements and imposes a fine.
But German officials have not been ashamed to punish people in the past for violating coronavirus rules.
In the state of Hessen, which includes the USAG Wiesbaden and the International Airport in Frankfurt, more than 11 000 people were fined more than 1 million euros in 2020, reports the newspaper Giessener Anzeiger.
And in the spring, four American soldiers were fined 100 euros each in Rhineland-Palatinate for violating social laws – they drove together in a car.
Karin Zeitvogel, reporter for Stars and Stripes, contributed to this report.
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