Straight into chaos

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Since today we have to wear those new masks when in public space, for shopping, in public transport, more or less in all situations we are out of our home, because no one can guarantee that we can keep a two metres distance to other people. That´s the acceptance limit that has been put upon us. Announcement was that we are to wear FFP2 masks or KN95 masks, and none other. Those masks are sold at cost in food shops, or you can buy them in drugstores, at a higher price, of course. Here comes the bummer: At midday, twelve hours after commencement, there was an announcement of our Department of health that KN95 mask are not allowed. Two hours later they backpedalled: KN95 allowed if there´s the CE on them, the proof of certification in Europe. Now Chinese manufacturers certainly are not dumb, so on the KN95 masks coming from China we have the same CE - Chinese export. You have to be an expert to be able to tell from which continent the mask you have bought comes from. Those experts we have in the department of health are definitely no real ones. A lot of masks they sent to older people for free did indeed come from far, far away. People in public service got Chinese KN95 from their employers. Drugstores sold them, too. Now if you pay four Euro per piece you might be a bit miffed now that you are not allowed to wear them. There´s an official page where you get instructed how to find out where that darn thing that tries to suffocate you comes from. I will not repeat the comments to this disaster in diverse fora, let´s state that I had so much to laugh that it will take some days for my diaphragm to recuperate. A banana republic, that´s what we are!

Comments

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

I read that some countries are doing this, on The guardian site, and the reporter added that it was difficult to see how this is going to be in any way enforceable.

So I am curious now, how are they going to 'police' what people are wearing in Austria?

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First thing they did was determine a fine of 25 Euros for those wearing no or the wrong mask. There are valid and not valid combinations of letters and numbers, but for the police being able to read them you'd either have to doff your mask and hand it over or let police come near you, this way ignoring the distance of 2 metres. Trust me, almost all fines have been declared irregular by judges. It's a game they play, but it's a dangerous one, as seen in the Netherlands. Most people do not deny the virus and know that we have to try and fight against it, it's the abstrusity of the rules put upon us which makes many of us weary.