Germany’s Handelsblatt reports that German aerosol researcher Gerhard Scheuch, former president of the International Society for Aerosols in Medicine, believes mandatory masks should first be removed outdoors and in large halls before tackling retail stores. To be sure, he said, masks are not a universal remedy for preventing Covid infections through airborne virus transmission. It is in small, confined, unventilated spaces where the risk is the highest, he said. Before opening retail to customers without masks, he believes all outdoor activities should first be allowed without masks, such as parks and zoological gardens. Even in large theaters and museums, outdoor pools, swimming pools and gymnasiums, the risk of infection is not as high because the volumes of air are greater. However, caution must still prevail in the indoor spaces connected to the outdoor areas, such as in locker rooms, Scheuch said.
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