Sunday June 20th 2021
Criticism from the Greens
Government plans FFP2 masks for children
FFP2 masks are recommended for good protection against coronaviruses. So far, they are only available for adults. The federal government now wants to change that and introduce suitable masks for children. The Greens criticize acting too late.
The federal government now also wants to introduce FFP2 masks for children. You see “in view of the ongoing pandemic there is a need for suitable children’s masks for the purpose of infection protection,” it said in a response from the Federal Ministry of Labor to a request from the Green parliamentary group.
In agreement with the Federal Ministry of Health, the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices has therefore initiated “the standardization of an infection protection mask” at the German Institute for Standardization, which should also take child-sized masks into account, it said.
The consumer policy spokeswoman for the Green Group, Tabea Rößner, called it a “poor testimony that after 16 months of the corona pandemic there are still no specific FFP2 masks for children available on the market”. “The federal government has failed to provide targeted protection for children,” criticized the Green politician.
“It is irresponsible”
The FFP2 mask requirement in schools has been lifted. However, many children wear adult-oriented masks on buses and trains. “It is irresponsible that the federal government did not act earlier in view of the pandemic situation that has persisted for so long,” criticized Rößner.
For its part, the Federal Ministry of Labor pointed out that when testing a half mask of class FFP2 according to the European standard, ten test persons with different face shapes take part. Some manufacturers also chose people with small and narrow face shapes. It is therefore not ruled out “that masks are manufactured and tested that are suitable for children and adolescents in the area of infection protection”.
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