FFP2 Mask obligation

Austria is one of the first European countries to make FFP2 masks compulsory. The measure is widely accepted without complaint, although other measures such as closing schools when ski lifts are open are controversial. “Because of the (contagious) variants of the coronavirus, it is necessary to protect yourself better,” says Hannah Zuegner, a 24-year-old Viennese and graphic designer. FFP2 masks have a filtration rate of at least 94 % and a maximum of 8 % leakage to the inside.

The masks, which just a few weeks ago often sold for more than 5 euros each, are now available in all grocery stores for 59 cents and block 94 percent of aerosols. Elderly and low-income households received packs of free FFP2 masks last week. The measure also applies to supermarkets and service providers such as car repairers and medical practitioners. Teachers, warehouse workers and persons in the public service must also comply at their workplaces, unless a minimum distance of two metres can be guaranteed. Pregnant women and people with illnesses that make it difficult for them to breathe are exempt.

The French government has now mandated that citizens in all public places wear disposable FFP1 surgical masks, better-protective FFP2 filtering masks, or fabric masks that meet the same “Category 1” specifications – they retain more than 90% of particles. In layman’s terms, homemade masks are no longer enough. The German government decided on Tuesday that all people on public transport, in workplaces and in shops must wear either FFP1 or FFP2 masks. The move came after the German state of Bavaria introduced an even stricter measure: the introduction of surgical-grade N95 respirators, which filter 95% of airborne particles, in shops and public transport.

This builds on Monday’s decision by the southern state of Bavaria to require all citizens to wear FFP2 masks instead of other mouth and nose coverings in stores, on public transportation and in other situations.