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Merkel rejects call to abolish face masks in Germany

German chancellor Angela Merkel has shunned the idea of backing away from wearing face masks in Germany in public and especially in the country’s shops.

The wearing of face masks was made law to deal with the coronavirus pandemic and curb new infections.

 “Wherever the minimum distance cannot be guaranteed in public life, masks are an important and, from today’s perspective, still indispensable means,” stressed Seibert.

The wearing of face masks in Germany is still necessary in order to “keep the number of infections low and to protect other people and ourselves.”

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania’s Minister for Economic Affairs Harry Glawe made a remark that should the number of infections come so low then there would be no need for face masks in the retail sector.

Other heads of states have already been debating the removal of the face masks when shopping but this notion was quickly thwarted by health Minister Jens Spahn who warned that the coronavirus was still present and that he understood the impatience and the desire for normality.

With 48,744 cases, Bavaria is one of the most affected states in Germany, according to the RKI. Last week, Bavaria was the first German state to approve free COVID-19 tests for all its 13 million inhabitants.

Bavaria’s Minister President Markus Soeder stressed on Monday that his state would “by no means relax or abolish the obligation to wear masks.” Wearing a face mask is “one of the very few protective equipment” against the coronavirus, he said.

Source: Jens Spahn