Germans will soon be required to wear face masks in indoor public spaces to slow the spread of COVID-19. However, there won’t be a return to lockdowns, school closures or curfews, according to Justice Minister Marco Buschmann.
In an interview with national newspaper Morgen Post, Buschmann said that while the summer COVID-19 wave was flattening, the government was preparing a response for an onslaught in the fall and winter. One of the main policies would be making masks mandatory in indoor public spaces.
“The effectiveness of masks for individuals indoors is undisputed,” said Buschmann. “That is why some form of wearing masks indoors will certainly play a role in our concept. We are already working with mask requirements in local public transport.”
Buschmann—a member of the anti-lockdown, liberal Free Democrats in Germany’s governing coalition—said the coalition agreed lockdowns and school closures were no longer appropriate measures, and that the country would imitate “Chinese conditions” if it “carelessly locked people up at home” or brought public life to a standstill.
“The high mental and socio-psychological effects, not to mention the consequences for the education of young people, I consider to be unacceptable,” said Buschmann. “A millstone was put around the neck of a whole generation of pupils and students.”
