German doctors recommend return to face masks as COVID-19 cases rise again

BERLIN - Citing the recent increase in COVID-19 infections, doctors in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany's most populous state, are urging the public to voluntarily wear face masks again to protect themselves and others.

"As daily life moves more indoors in the autumn and winter, masks may again become medically useful, especially for the protection of vulnerable groups," Frank Bergmann, head of the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians in the North Rhine region, told the Rheinische Post newspaper on Monday.

However, there is no reason for politicians to reintroduce mandatory mask use, Bergmann added. Except the pandemic years between 2020 and 2022, hardly any medical face masks have been seen in everyday life in Germany.

It would also be important to offer free COVID-19 testing again to better monitor infections, according to pharmacists. "For many families, it is not financially possible to buy coronavirus tests," Thomas Preis, chair of the North Rhine Chamber of Pharmacists, said.

"We continue to see concerning trends for COVID-19 ahead of the winter season in the Northern Hemisphere," WHO Director General Tedros Ghebreyesus warned last week, urging people with higher health risks to refresh their vaccinations.

Looking to meet seasonal demand, German vaccine manufacturer BioNTech has produced a vaccine adapted to the new variants. It "aims to further improve protection against severe illness and hospitalization," BioNTech Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ugur Sahin said at the end of August.