German doctors’ representatives are against a mask requirement in schools, others fear an “infection with announcement”. The news ticker.
- The mask requirement * in schools is gradually falling in the federal states.
- Proponents refer, among other things, to the 7-day incidence *.
- Opponents point to “Long Covid” in children and adolescents.
- This news ticker on the subject of Corona * in Germany is continuously updated.
Berlin – In Germany, the masks are gradually falling – in schools. After Berlin, Brandenburg and Saarland, the obligation to wear is no longer applicable in Bavaria, and Baden-Württemberg and Saxony want to follow suit. Federal Family Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD *) welcomed the easing. But the step divides minds.
The German Teachers’ Association was skeptical about the approach, and the education union VBE also called for caution. According to RKI * data, the coronavirus * is particularly severe in children from preschool age and adolescents up to 19 years of age.
Dispute over mask requirement in German schools: “Completely inappropriate”
Thomas Fischbach from the Association of Pediatricians and Adolescents told the Funke newspapers at the weekend that the decision had to be based on the incidence values and the age of the children. It could not be that the youngest “continue to be expected to wear masks by society in order to show consideration for those who refuse to be vaccinated”.
Medical President Reinhardt told the RND newspapers on Saturday: “It is completely inappropriate that children and young people have to wear a mask for hours in class, while adults can go to the restaurant in the evening without a mask.” However, stricter distance and test regulations apply in restaurants in many places than in schools.
Corona: Virologist Brinkmann considers the mask requirement stop “stupid”
The virologist Melanie Brinkmann from the Braunschweig Helmholtz Center for Infection Research considers the move to be premature. “If you want to get rid of something that has been scientifically proven to be useful and that costs next to nothing, you can do that. The only question is whether it is wise, ”said the woman who also advises Chancellor Merkel, the Rheinische Post on Saturday. “Given the high number of non-vaccinated people, including children, I consider this decision to be premature – and to be honest, quite stupid.”
Controversy about “Long Covid” among children and adolescents
The question of the risk to children and adolescents from Covid-19 has been discussed controversially for a long time. Proponents of stricter safety measures in schools argue that children could also become seriously ill, and point to possible long-term consequences (“long covid”).
Pediatricians, on the other hand, had advertised less strict measures in an open letter at the beginning of September: There was scientific consensus that children and adolescents themselves only rarely become seriously ill and usually recover quickly.
The nationwide 7-day incidence of new corona infections has increased slightly to 64.7. On Monday morning, the RKI reported 3088 new infections within 24 hours and seven more deaths or with Covid-19. (AFP / dpa / frs) * Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA
