Where can I buy FFP2 masks?
So far, FFP2 masks were only available in pharmacies or online from specialty retailers. Now FFP2 masks are also used in front of supermarkets Cost price of € 0.58 dealt.
Where can I get FFP2 masks from domestic production?
FFP2 masks are also manufactured and sold in Austria by renowned companies. We have researched a small selection of these manufacturers and dealers for you, if you want to strengthen and support the local economy:
AVENTRIUM Health Care GmbH (100% “Made in Austria”)
the AVENTRIUM Health Care GmbH has one in Graz from August 2020 to June 2021 Protective mask production operated. However, production and sales at the Graz location have now been discontinued. Due to the great price pressure, the company will concentrate on the locations in Germany and Hungary in the future. 10 million remaining stocks of FFP2 masks produced in Austria, will soon be available at a starting price of 10 cents auctioned. You can bid on the website of ÖVG Versteigerungs GmbH. The FFP2 masks are available in the colors white, light blue, orange, black and pink.
Hygiene Austria LP GmbH (~ 15% “Made in Austria”)
the Hygiene Austria LP GmbH is a joint venture company founded by Palmers Textil AG and Lenzing AG, which specializes in the production of Respirators has specialized. Hygiene Austria LP GmbH masks are partly produced in Austria (and partly in China), but comply with all domestic and European quality standards. FFP2 masks from Hygiene Austria LP GmbH are sold by, among others:
Who must wear FFP2 masks?
the FFP2 mask requirement fell on July 1, 2021. Currently, one is enough again in public buildings and on public transport Mouth and nose protection (MNS mask).
However, it is FFP2 mask still safer and protects before the high infectious Delta variant much better! In Vienna, the FFP2 mask must also still be worn in hospitals and nursing homes. Furthermore, you still need at least mouth and nose protection in retail outlets in Vienna.
Corona: who does the mask protect?
In contrast to mouth and nose protection, one represents FFP mask also provides protection against infection for the wearer. However, only if used correctly. FFP masks are divided into three categories – one to three. The different names go back to how many aerosols the masks can filter. FFP1 masks filter at least 80 percent of airborne particles down to 0.6 microns in size. However, FFP1 masks do not provide adequate protection against SARS-CoV-2 aerosols. FFP2 masks must filter at least 94 percent and FFP3 masks at least 99 percent of the test aerosols – one of these two categories must be worn in the future.
Difference: FFP2 mask with or without a valve?
There are FFP2 masks with and without a valve. According to the regulation, however, only FFP2 masks were in public places without valve permitted. The valve directs the exhaled air to the outside, which means that an FFP2 mask with a valve protects the wearer, but does not the people around him.
How do face masks help against corona?
All masks represent a barrier between your saliva or nasal secretions and other people. Large droplets are almost completely filtered out by a simple MNS and small aerosols are at least prevented from spreading unhindered in the air. The higher the quality of the mask, the greater your own protection and protection from others. FFP2 and FFP3 masks, which are used by medical personnel, among others, even filter aerosols and offer even better protection against infections.
What is a CPA mask?
The CPA mask (corona virus respiratory protection mask) is a special form of the corona protective mask. she corresponds to the mode of operation of an FFP2 mask, but does not have to go through all the quality criteria of an FFP2 mask. CPA masks do not have to go through the complete test procedure of ÖNORM EN 149 but a shortened test procedure has been specified by the Austrian federal government. The test values to be achieved are based on the standards of the FFP2 mask, whereby only the following points are checked: temperature conditioning, usage simulation, visual inspection, application test, breathing resistance (devices without valve), exhalation valve flow, breathing resistance (devices with valve), passage of the Filter medium. These masks are approved for medical use during the pandemic by decree.
Why do I have to wear a mask?
The all-important value in the corona pandemic is the so-called Replication factor R(eff). According to scientists, the epidemic can only be expected to subside soon if the replication factor less than one is. If it is bigger, SARS-CoV-2 spreads exponentially, that means every infected person is stuck more than one other person with this virus.
If Austria the R (eff) cannot permanently drop below 1 again, that would mean that the health system collapses and the emergency medical care of people (with or without Corona) from this point in time no longer guaranteed were. So that this does not happen, it is up to each of us again to implement the new, more stringent measures of the federal government to implement in a disciplined manner. This is the only way we can all work together to contain the spread of COVID-19 in good time.
Where do I have to wear a mask?
Wearing a face mask is currently (as of July 1, 2021) again mandatory in all of Austria in the following areas:
- Supermarkets
- Banks and post offices
- Party traffic by administrative authorities and administrative courts
- public transport, taxis, coaches etc.
- Carpooling
- Cable cars and cog railways
Wearing an FFP2 mask is still required in the following locations:
- Hospitals in Vienna
- Nursing homes in Vienna
Can I reuse an FFP2 mask?
According to scientific knowledge, an FFP2 mask – provided it has only been moistened with the air we breathe – can be reused. After use, it should be hung up to dry for several days. If it is dried in room air for a period of seven days, this leads to a 95 percent germ reduction. If you dry your face mask this way, you can reuse it up to five times. However, only if it continues to sit well, is completely dry and is not visibly soiled or contaminated.
Can I wear a face shield instead of an FFP2 mask?
Experts have long questioned the aerosol-inhibiting effect of face visors. Current studies have now also confirmed this assumption (see videos). This is why so-called face shields are in Austria no longer allowed since November 7, 2020 and wherever FFP2 masks are required prohibited as the sole protective device. You can still wear a face visor, but you must also wear an FFP2 mask underneath.
How useful are DIY masks?
Before you even wear my protective mask, you should at least wear mouth and nose protection. People with low incomes are exempt from the FFP2 mask requirement until they have been provided with FFP2 masks free of charge.
Together we can do it!
For many, the news that the protective measures against SARS-CoV-2 had to be carried out in the form of a second lockdown came as a shock. By now it should be clear to everyone that COVID-19 not a harmless disease and the Risk to our health system is absolutely real. That doesn’t mean we need to panic. But it says that each of us should do our part.
