Mask requirement: Anschober defends regulation kurier.at

Minister of Health Rudolf Anschober (Greens) sent out Saturday’s from some lawyers questioned the requirement to wear a mask defended in shops. It applies to the protection of people at risk in “specific systemically relevant areas” – and is also “objectively justified” and “understandable for the population”, according to a specialist report.

With the expansion of the mouth-nose protection obligation – which has been in force since July 24 – risk persons are to be protected where they have to meet their basic needs of daily life. In order to “make the measure accurate”, branches of the food retail trade, banks, post and postal partners, nursing homes and hospitals – in addition to the pharmacies – were recorded.

Protect vulnerable people

The minister referred to the expert opinion of the infectologist and “court-certified expert” Herwig Kollaritsch. This is also “shared and supported by the vast majority of virologists”. This means that a regulation should cover in particular those areas that risk persons have to visit either because this is the only way to provide them with everyday essentials or because they are necessary to maintain basic needs (e.g. care facilities, health facilities). However, this could exclude certain areas that vulnerable people would not necessarily have to frequent.

For this reason, the regulation was “understandable and justified from a technical point of view”. Correspondingly differentiated regulations for the protection of the mouth and nose existed also at the first introduction in spring. Anschober also “urgently” appealed to the population “not to be confused by this discussion and to continue to keep distance, wear mouth and nose protection, comply with hygiene regulations and regularly ventilate closed rooms in order to further spread COVID 19 to prevent “.

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