Protective masks convey a false sense of security

Christiane Fux studied journalism and psychology in Hamburg. The experienced medical editor has been writing magazine articles, news and factual texts on all conceivable health topics since 2001. In addition to her work for, Christiane Fux is also active in prose. Her first crime novel was published in 2012, and she also writes, designs and publishes her own crime plays.

More posts by Christiane Fux All content is checked by medical journalists.

Wearing face masks in shops and public transport is already compulsory nationwide or will be in the coming days. Despite the requirement to wear a mask, other hygiene measures must not take a back seat, warn critics.

Little protection for the wearer

There is a consensus in science that simple, for example, self-sewn, but also surgical mouth and nose covers, at least for one's own protection against corona, are of little use. Unless the masks are of a higher security level, they are seldom completely tight and also do not adequately filter the air we breathe. In this way, tiny droplets containing viruses can penetrate without any problems.

Since, according to experts, wearing a mask can curb the spread of the new type of coronavirus, Chancellor Merkel recently urgently recommended covering her mouth and nose in public or at least when visiting the supermarket and when using public transport.

Some federal states have already made this mandatory, the others will follow suit in the coming days. Ultimately, a mask requirement will apply in every federal state in the near future - at least for local public transport and almost everywhere when shopping.

Only the environment benefits

The mask requirement is intended to ensure that sick people and those who feel healthy but are already infected, infect others less often. In theory, this also works: at least larger droplets that are thrown out due to wet pronunciation or when coughing and sneezing are largely absorbed by the mask. The smallest virus-containing aerosols can nevertheless penetrate through and also flow out from the side. The masks and therefore the person opposite are not 100 percent safe.

However, since it can be assumed that even makeshift masks reduce the risk of infecting others, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) has revised its earlier assessment of wearing face masks - without any clear scientific evidence. Previously, the RKI had only recommended a face mask to people with acute respiratory diseases.

In an interview with, Andreas Westerfellhaus, the federal government's authorized nursing officer, explains: “In order for the [Editor's note: wearing masks] to work, all masks would have to be worn. Everyone also needs to know how to do it properly. "

Lax handling of hygiene measures feared

Above all, wearing a mask harbors a risk: It lulls people into a false sense of security, so that they take much more effective measures more laxly - such as keeping the all-important minimum distance. “We must not underestimate that when everyone is wearing masks, there is a feeling that one can approach the other person again. That then does exactly the opposite of what we want to achieve, ”warns Andreas Westerfellhaus.

World Medical President Frank Ulrich Montgomery also warns of the consequences of a nationwide mask requirement. "Anyone who wears a mask feels safe, he forgets the only decisive minimum distance," he told the Düsseldorf "Rheinische Post". "I wear a mask myself, out of courtesy and solidarity, but consider a legal obligation to be wrong."

Such phenomena are known from psychology, for example from cyclists who move more riskily in traffic with helmets, or from motorists who slide past them closer than unprotected cyclists.

WHO sees risks in the general mask requirement

Experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) also see problems with wearing face masks. The risk for the individual even increases if inexperienced contaminated masks take off incorrectly and become infected, warn the World Health Guard.

At best, masks can, at best, keep the crucial protective measures such as keeping your distance, wash your hands and properly support sneezing or coughing, but by no means replace them. You alone could not stop the spread of the respiratory disease Covid-19, emphasizes WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

If you are sick, you should use a mask

If the mask requirement is limited to certain areas, the following applies to sick people: Anyone who coughs and sniffs should - if he or she actually has to leave the house - wear mouth and nose protection to protect their fellow human beings - always. Such sufferers catapult a large amount of viruses into the air with every cough and sneeze, which are at least partially caught in the mask. This not only applies in the case of a Covid 19 infection, but also in the case of a common cold.

You can find further important tips about the correct use of mouth and nose covers in our article "Mask requirement: The most important information".

Tags:  alternative medicine toadstool poison plants skin care