Possible tightening of the face mask requirement

A man wearing a FFP2 mask on the subway

Berlin's mayor, Franziska Giffey, has raised the prospect of stricter face mask requirements due to the high number of Coronavirus infections and the more contagious Omicron variant.

"The likelihood that we will take this step is relatively high," the SPD politician said Ton Tuesday (04 January 2022) after a Senate meeting. Giffey stated that the Senate would discuss its next course of action in the coming week after the Minister Presidents' Conference (MPK), which is scheduled for this Friday. According to Giffey, a FFP2 mask obligation, for example for buses and trains, is "one of the obvious steps".

Higher protection through FFP2 mask obligation

At the moment, medical face masks are mandatory on public transport as well as in many other areas of public life, such as in retail stores or at certain events. FFP2 masks fall under this definition, but so do simpler surgical masks. It is known that the protective effect of an FFP2 mask is higher, Giffey said. According to her, mandatory FFP2 masks would therefore be an appropriate measure. Berlin's Health Senator, Ulrike Gote (Green Party), stated that the Senate had not yet come to a decision, "but it makes sense in any case to wear an FFP2 mask at this time. And it is certainly a very small step that can help very, very much."