German Chancellor Merkel Also Begins Wearing Masks

Despite Mask Mandate, No Signs of Wearing
Brazilian President Belatedly Signs Mask Mandate Law

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] German Chancellor Angela Merkel has started wearing a mask in official public appearances.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

On the 3rd (local time), Chancellor Merkel attended the Federal Diet wearing a black mask. She had also been seen wearing a mask the day before.

Until now, Chancellor Merkel had never been seen wearing a mask. Regarding this, on the 29th of last month, during a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron, who visited Berlin, she was asked by reporters why she had never been seen wearing a mask.

In response, Chancellor Merkel said with a smile, "I do not wear a mask when social distancing rules are followed," adding, "In cases where social distancing cannot be maintained, such as when grocery shopping, we did not encounter each other." The media criticized her response as defensive. Germany mandates mask-wearing in stores and on public transportation. US ABC News reported that after criticism that Merkel had never been seen wearing a mask despite the mandatory mask-wearing policy, she began wearing one.

Recently, there have been cluster infections of COVID-19 in Germany, but overall, the infection situation is being managed stably. Germany has about 196,000 COVID-19 cases. The daily number of new infections is around 300 to 400. The death toll is 9,010.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump, whose country is experiencing a surge in new infections, recently welcomed mask-wearing and said he already wears one, but he has never been seen wearing a mask in official public appearances.

Meanwhile, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro signed a bill on the same day mandating mask-wearing when using public transportation such as buses and taxis, as well as in multi-use facilities like restaurants and hair salons. President Bolsonaro had delayed signing this bill.

President Bolsonaro caused controversy by walking around downtown Brasilia without wearing a mask, shaking hands and hugging supporters without hesitation.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.