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Erfurt (dpa / th) - Thuringia's SPD boss and interior minister Georg Maier (SPD) has spoken out in favor of providing the population with more FFP2 masks.
"We have to do everything we can to get FFP2 masks among the people - we may have to distribute them free of charge," said Maier on Friday to the German press agency with a view to the upcoming deliberations of the state heads of government with Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday (CDU).
He himself now only wears masks with a higher protective effect.
Unlike their fabric counterparts, FFP2 masks without an exhalation valve offer protection not only for others, but also for the person wearing the mask.
Maier said that he is currently checking whether there are enough such masks in Thuringia to enable them to be used across the board.
"If the capacities are not there, they have to be created," said Maier.
The state also has to take money into hand in order to be able to distribute the masks for free.
FFP2 masks are significantly more expensive than normal medical disposable masks.
In addition, they are usually only intended for one-time use, while fabric masks, for example, can be washed hot and then reused.
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Maier was also open to Bavaria's approach, where wearing an FFP2 mask in shops and in local public transport is mandatory.
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