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Stockholm / Brussels (dpa) - In the fight against the corona virus, the EU health authority ECDC arouses doubts about the additional benefits of FFP2 masks in everyday life.
"The expected added value of the universal use of FFP2 respirators in the community is very low," said the Stockholm-based authority on Wednesday at the request of the German press agency.
The costs and possible disadvantages also speak against a recommendation to wear FFP2 masks instead of other masks in public.
Details of these possible disadvantages were initially not given.
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The particularly tight, but more expensive masks are designed to protect against pollutant particles such as dust or aerosols.
They are now required in many places instead of normal everyday masks.
In mid-January, Chancellor Angela Merkel and the Prime Minister agreed to demand FFP2 masks, surgical masks or mouth-nose covers of the KN95 / N95 standards in public transport and in shops.
EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides confirmed the assessment of the EU authority in Brussels.
"The ECDC says the evidence is not strong enough at the moment to make it necessary to recommend this in everyday life," said Kyriakides when asked.
It is important to wear a mask correctly and to keep your distance.
"But at the moment the ECDC does not support the wearing of FFP2 masks in the community, according to the advice they have."
The ECDC also stated that even the emergence of new variants of the coronavirus does not require any mask types other than those currently used as part of non-pharmaceutical measures against corona.
According to its own information, the authority is currently in the process of updating a document with assessments of mask use in the social environment to reduce coronavirus transmission.
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The FFP2 mask requirement in certain places sparked a debate in Germany about the costs and possible help for poorer people.
On Wednesday, however, it became clear that unemployment benefit II recipients would have to wait for the announced free FFP2 masks.
The authorization certificates for collection in the pharmacy to a total of about five million needy people have not yet been sent by the health insurance companies, as the umbrella association of statutory health insurance companies announced.
"When the shipping will start practically cannot be said yet," said association spokesman Florian Lanz of the German press agency.
Important questions still need to be clarified beforehand.
The association pointed out that the necessary change to the so-called coronavirus protective mask regulation still had to be decided by the government.
A spokeswoman for the Federal Ministry of Health said the regulation was in the works.
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Minister of Social Affairs Hubertus Heil (SPD) and Minister of Health Jens Spahn (CDU) announced last week that around five million recipients of basic security should each receive ten free FFP2 masks.
The background to this is the new regulations for wearing medical masks on buses, trains and when shopping.
You should be able to pick up the masks from the pharmacy with a letter from your health insurance company and an identification document.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210203-99-290771 / 2
Previous ECDC recommendations for wearing masks