There has recently been uncertainty in Austria: various newspapers have reported that wearing a mask will no longer be punishable in the future. They are referring to the ban on facial coverings in Austria, which has been in force throughout the country since October 1, 2017. The so-called anti-face covering law is intended, among other things, to “enable interpersonal communication that is necessary for peaceful coexistence in a democratic constitutional state.” The law applies to all people staying in Austria.

However, there are exceptions to this ban. Nevertheless, individual media reports ( here / here / here ) have suggested that citizens who would voluntarily wear a face mask in public in the future would have to prove that they are wearing a mask for medical reasons. The police are also quoted as saying, depending on the situation, whether a fine of €150 would be due or not. According to a statement from the police, “proportionate action will be taken, especially in the next few months. If the person can credibly provide a health justification, there is no administrative violation.”

Fact check mask and the ban on covering the face

The clear statement is: No, you are not committing a criminal offense if you wear a medical face mask or an FFP2 mask in public or on public transport. We have obtained various statements from the authorities, which clearly state that wearing a face mask in public continues to be unpunished.

We have received corresponding statements from the authorities. The Federal Ministry for Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection writes to us:

Dear Mr. Wolf,
below you will find a statement from Health Minister Johannes Rauch regarding the current debate on the ban on masking:

Wearing a mask does NOT constitute a violation of the ban on masking!

Anyone who voluntarily wears a mask protects themselves and others. The clarification is currently being drawn up by the Ministry of the Interior. Best regards
Federal Ministry for Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection
Cabinet Federal Minister Johannes Rauch

From the Ministry of the Interior, which was repeatedly stated in the media reports, we received the following answer via the Vienna police:

Dear Mr. Wolf,

From a police point of view, you can “all clear” here - basically no one in Austria has to worry about possibly violating the AGesVG by wearing a medical protective mask to protect against the corona infection.
The intention of this law fundamentally goes in a completely different direction and - more importantly - in our post-pandemic phase, protecting one's own health and the health of those around us definitely has priority over this administrative matter. This is currently being regulated by the Federal Police Directorate in the BMI for all police officers, so that there is also security for colleagues and there are no misunderstandings.

With best regards,
Federal Ministry of the Interior
Department I/10 Public Relations
Departmental Communications

Conclusion

“If you wear a mask today, in the worst case scenario you could be punished” = No.
“Masks: Wearing masks is actually forbidden again” = No.
“Will wearing masks on public transport in Vienna soon be punished?” = No.
Voluntary wearing of a mask remains unpunished because it does not violate the ban on covering the face.

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Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )