Germany feigns ignorance of the Covid-19 mask requirement.

Germany's Health Ministry admitted on Thursday that mandatory face masks had no positive effect on fighting the Covid-19 pandemic. It could not be assessed independently from other steps taken by the government, including the lockdowns. The ministry insisted that the mask mandate's effectiveness had been proven back in 2020, but only in connection with other far-reaching measures such as school closures and lockdowns. The ministry is now led by a Social Democrat, Karl Lauterbach, who became known during the pandemic as a strong proponent of strict lockdowns and harsh restrictions. The Bundestag's vice president also criticized Germany's health watchdog, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), saying it has not done its job properly.

The RKI has not studied the effects of the mask mandate, which was made compulsory for all Germans in April 2020. Two German states, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Hamburg, then made use of the so-called 'hotspot regulation' to extend the mask mandate in those areas. Kubicki has called for the government's entire Covid-19 policy to be reviewed by the parliament and for the RKI to be made more independent from the Health Ministry. Germany has faced several scandals linked to the protective masks the government purchased as part of its strategy to fight Covid-19.