Mask requirement in daycare centers: The protection of others

Frankfurt actually wanted to tighten the rules of the game: educators who are not vaccinated should wear high-quality protective masks in kindergartens.

The Green politician and health department head Stefan Majer wanted to react to the increasing number of new corona cases in the city.

He dropped the plan, although it could have been well justified.

It would also have served as a role model for other municipalities.

So far, daycare centers have made some efforts to keep the vaccination status of their employees under lock and key.

Parents report on circulars from the institutions asking them not to ask the educators about the vaccination - privacy should be preserved.

That would of course have been done if the mask had become a clearly visible distinguishing feature in the future.

The criticism could be that this leads to the stigmatization of those who have not yet been vaccinated.

Security takes precedence over sensitivities

In fact, it can lead to discussions among parents and educators about how to handle immunization. Still, the approach is correct. The so-called FFP2 masks offer higher protection against infection with the coronavirus, and both those who wear the masks and others benefit from this. And the balance between the personal rights of the one and the health of children in particular, but also of colleagues and parents, should be clearly in favor of the other.

In addition, enough parents have already had the unfortunate experience in the pandemic that childcare was broken off for them at short notice because the facility was closed due to a corona outbreak. Not always, but the virus had also been carried to kindergarten by educators. In spring, when the serums were not yet available in sufficient quantities, this had to be endured. But that has changed in the meantime.

Of course, the obligation to use a high-quality mask would have put a lot of strain on the unvaccinated kindergarten teachers, and of course the pressure on them would have increased to get vaccinated. But those affected should now have to endure pressure of this kind, for whatever reason they have decided against immunization up to now. Because that is also part of the truth: those who get vaccinated not only protect themselves, but also those around them. And that outweighs sensitivities.