According to reports today, the German government is considering making masks mandatory from October to March.
The measures would include mask wearing in all public locations, including pubs, restaurants, and stores, during the colder half of the year in an effort to combat the spread of Covid, according to the German newspaper Die Welt on Friday.
Covid cases often climb over the winter months as people withdraw indoors, so supporters of the initiative expect to reverse that trend while also addressing other lung and flu diseases.
According to official estimates, the country has recently reported between 50 and 130 coronavirus-related deaths each day in what has been termed as a “summer wave” even before the cold weather arrived.
It’s unclear if the rules would extend to schools and kindergartens. Masks are now only required on public transportation and in medical facilities in Germany.
Last year’s Oktoberfest, which would ordinarily attract 6 million visitors, was cancelled totally by German authorities, so beer connoisseurs will be more than upset if this year’s celebration is disrupted by mandatory mask wearing.
The ‘O-bis-O’ rule refers to driving restrictions that compel drivers to install winter tires on their vehicles during the months when the German cold is particularly severe.
The idea will disappoint the more than 80 million Germans who have enjoyed reborn freedoms as Covid laws have been loosened across Europe.
With the arrival of summer, millions of people have been enjoying social activities and interactions free of onerous Covid constraints such as maintaining social distance and restricting group sizes.
The German government will almost certainly await the findings of a scientific panel before deciding which requirements to include in the next version of the Infection Protection Act, which is slated to expire in September.
It is the commission’s responsibility to inform the government by the end of the month which restrictions have taken effect.
On Friday, Germany’s Health Minister Karl Lauterbach outlined his seven-point plan for the autumn, when Covid cases are likely to rise, but he did not comment on allegations of a return to mandatory mask use.
He encouraged residents and visitors to use face masks indoors to protect themselves and others from the coronavirus, but he admitted that present evidence does not support making mask use a legal obligation.
The country’s governing coalition, which includes the libertarian Free Democratic Party, has been particularly loud in calling for an end to COVID-19 regulations.
Lauterbach, an epidemiologist by profession, stated that Germany was expecting an increase in cases, referring to it as a “summer wave.”
‘I ask those who want to protect themselves or others to wear masks indoors,’ Lauterbach, a Social Democrat, told reporters in Berlin, adding that the number of cases could rise further in the coming months.
‘Voluntarily wearing masks needs to be a normality indoors.’
‘The dominant variant circulating in Germany is comparatively mild, and many residents are vaccinated or have recovered from COVID-19, meaning they are less at risk of serious illness,’ the health minister said.
‘There is no need to to panic,’ he said.
Lauterbach stated that the government was working to secure a large quantity of vaccines for the fall that would cover all of the major varieties.
Citizens who are at risk or who do not wish to imperil others should consider having a second booster dose, he suggested.
Back in England, Covid cases increased by 40% last week, indicating the commencement of a new wave of the virus.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) believes that 1.13 million people were infected on any given day during the week ending June 10, or one in every 50 people. It’s the highest weekly increase since Omicron was originally seeded in the country in December.
Cases are also increasing in Wales, Northern Ireland (one in every 45 people got the virus last week), and Scotland (one in 30).
After free testing was discontinued and the daily dashboard was pulled back, the ONS’ weekly infection survey has become the greatest barometer of the outbreak in the post-pandemic era.
Data suggests that the revival is being driven by Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5, which are thought to be even more infectious than the parent strain. Scientists believe the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations may have also contributed to the increase.
Outbreaks of Covid are increasing in nursing homes, as are hospital admissions, and experts fear that this will put additional on on an already overburdened health-care system.