Corona up-to-date: protective mask tailors face warnings

Cloth masks are in high demand in the corona crisis. As there is a shortage of medical protective masks and these should be reserved for people who work in medical facilities and are at increased risk of being infected with the coronvirus, more and more people in Germany and other countries are putting on self-sewn fabric masks.

Cloth masks protect people around us

The Robert Koch Institute has now also confirmed that these substance masks can help to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. There is no evidence that the wearers themselves are protected from infection with the corona virus by the fabric masks.

But if you wear such a mask – either because you are already ill or as a precautionary measure, even if you do not feel any symptoms of illness – you can intercept the droplets that are expelled when you speak, cough or sneeze. It mainly transmits the corona virus. The more people in public wear such masks, the greater the protection for everyone else.

Pay attention to the designation for fabric masks

Accordingly, more and more companies and individuals are starting to manufacture fabric masks. But then this too To be able to sell without problems, it is important to pay attention to the correct name of the fabric masks – otherwise mail from warning lawyers may be threatened.

As reported by "n-tv" warns among other things the IT law firm Munich against selling the fabric masks as a face mask or respiratory protection. This dedication is reserved for medical devices, i.e. masks that have been clinically evaluated and have the appropriate CE marking. The self-sewn fabric masks are usually not checked in this way.

Nevertheless, offering the fabric masks as mouth and / or respiratory masks is therefore a violation of "the product-specific labeling obligations under the Medical Devices Act (MPG) and the misleading prohibition according to Section 4 Paragraph 2 of the MPG", says lawyer Phil Salewski.

In the event of such violations, competition law warnings, punitive and fine proceedings are threatened. So far, however, no warning is known in the context, the law firm said.

The lawyer advises fabric mask manufacturers not to use the word "protection" when naming their masks. According to him, terms such as mouth covering, mouth and nose mask or makeshift mask are not problematic. Makeshift protection is also likely to be fine.

The "Jun law firm" from Würzburg confirmed this view in a posting on Facebook. The legal experts write there: "Design, sew or glue! Whether from coffee filters, fabric or cellulose. You have no legal problems as long as you don't sell it as a breathing mask. Mouth covering, face mask, mouth shirt, nasal tissue – all is fine. "It was also important to clearly state that the mask does not effectively protect the wearer if the product description contains Covid-19.

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Sources used: n-tv.de, it-recht-kanzlei.de, facebook.com/kanzleijun, gesetze-im-internet.de