Patient advocates criticize “absurd” decisions on corona measures

Before further corona restrictions were lifted on March 1, patient advocates criticized the “contradictory” and “absurd” rules. "Even the last politically determined corona rules remain contradictory," said the board member of the German Foundation for Patient Protection, Eugen Brysch, to the newspapers of the Funke media group. "It is absurd that visitors in nursing homes and clinics have to wear a mask, but the staff don't."

The patient advocate pointed out that not only visitors could carry the corona virus to clinics or homes, but also employees such as doctors or nurses. The protection of particularly vulnerable people is particularly important. “The federal, state and expert governments failed to focus on the essentials during the pandemic. That is and will remain the safety of old people who are in need of care and who are ill," said Brysch. He called for Germany-wide and daily tests for the nursing staff.

From Wednesday, there will no longer be any testing requirements for access to health facilities. The mask requirement for employees in medical practices, clinics and care facilities has also been lifted. For residents in nursing homes, the mask requirement will then also end. However, it is valid for visitors to practices, nursing homes and clinics nationwide until April 7th. This should continue to protect risk groups in particular. Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) justified the early easing on March 1 with the stable situation.

The virologist Melanie Brinkmann from the Technical University of Braunschweig recently criticized the planned end of the mask requirement for healthcare workers. "I would have found it better to maintain the mask requirement in these critical areas of our health system," said the deputy head of the Corona Expert Council of the Federal Government of the Düsseldorf "Rheinische Post". The protection provided by covering the mouth and nose is “undisputedly very high”. That's why she thinks it makes sense to "continue to make it compulsory for visitors to clinics, medical practices and homes to wear masks as long as the infection rate is high".