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Amid rising infections and hospitalizations associated with new, more contagious, variants of Covid-19 throughout Europe, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has announced that all individuals in the country would be required to wear surgical masks, or FFP2 medical-grade face masks, such as N95, as opposed to merely cloth coverings, when in the workplace, on public transportation, and in shops.

Merkel said the threat of the U.K coronavirus variant, known as B.1.1.7., is the primary reason for the intensified regulations.

Germany is the first major European nation to require medical-grade protection.

According to a study published in the Lancet medical journal over the summer, “both FFP2, N95 and surgical masks have a stronger association with protection compared with single-layer masks." Read the rest of the Forbes article here.