Unfortunately, there are exceptions, for example, 'for medical reasons' as in to 'reduce infection risk'. As most readers of this substack know, there has not been a single scientific study that showed a significant reduction associated with wearing any face coverings, whether N95/FFP2 or a simple cloth mask.
However, 'Police officers must assess on a case-by-case basis whether face coverings are exempt from the ban.'
Okay, does that mean that police officers bound to political instructions (politisch weisungsgebunden) are aware of all the related scientific research, and do they even care?
Also, according to Rauch, '[E]ach hospital, every doctor can determine this themselves in their own area and insist on masks.' Hmmm? So now it's the medical personnel that decides and not the police? What if a patient refuses to wear a face mask? Will the hospital personnel detain or remove them until a police officer can choose how to proceed?
None of these questions are new, but as far as I know, they still haven't been decided on by courts.
Ban on covering the face.
Since October 1, 2017, there has been a ban on covering the face throughout Austria. https://www.oesterreich.gv.at/themen/leben_in_oesterreich/aufenthalt/Seite.120251.html
Unfortunately, there are exceptions, for example, 'for medical reasons' as in to 'reduce infection risk'. As most readers of this substack know, there has not been a single scientific study that showed a significant reduction associated with wearing any face coverings, whether N95/FFP2 or a simple cloth mask.
However, 'Police officers must assess on a case-by-case basis whether face coverings are exempt from the ban.'
Okay, does that mean that police officers bound to political instructions (politisch weisungsgebunden) are aware of all the related scientific research, and do they even care?
Also, according to Rauch, '[E]ach hospital, every doctor can determine this themselves in their own area and insist on masks.' Hmmm? So now it's the medical personnel that decides and not the police? What if a patient refuses to wear a face mask? Will the hospital personnel detain or remove them until a police officer can choose how to proceed?
None of these questions are new, but as far as I know, they still haven't been decided on by courts.
I suppose that the courts won't get into this issue anytime soon for 'fear' of setting a precedent that, well, embarrasses the politicians (too) much.
You know, there used to be the (inside) joke of 'postmodern arbitrariness' (postmoderne Beliebigkeit), which comes to mind here…
Relatedly, they just mandated masks in hospitals here: https://vicparkpetition.substack.com/p/tyranny-alert-for-west-australians
I am sending you a photo via email that may be appropriate for your advent calendar.
Please do, and thanks for the link!
It's too bad banks no longer have large amounts of cash lying about.
Just imagine a bank-robbery when everyone from staff to guards to robbers are wearing masks.