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They look a bit like coffee filters: masks according to FFP2 or KN95 standard.
So far only voluntarily, they will be compulsory in NRW from Monday, January 22nd, in buses and trains, supermarkets, doctor's offices and church services.
The previous name everyday mask for mouth and nose protection made of fabric is therefore misleading.
Because for many, the medical mask is actually becoming part of everyday life.
In the country's new corona protection regulation, which was published on Thursday evening, a long passage is dedicated to special masks.
Among other things, it also says: "If children under the age of 14 cannot wear a medical mask due to the fit, an everyday mask must be worn instead." Children up to primary school age are still exempt from the mask requirement.
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Where you don't have to wear an OP or FFP2 mask, the previous rules for "normal" masks largely apply.
You have to keep using them in playgrounds or in the supermarket parking lot, for example.
If fabric masks were previously considered sufficient to slow down the coronavirus, politicians are now afraid of the extremely contagious mutations.
The surgical masks or FFP2 masks, which are particularly tight, should protect against them.
Which, however, is also noticeable when breathing.
"Persons who do not observe an obligation to wear a mask are to be excluded from using the offers, facilities and services concerned by the persons responsible for the offer, facility or service," says the current regulation.
As far as the fines are concerned, the old catalog continues to apply for the time being: According to this, you have to pay 150 euros for a mask violation on the bus or train.