The head of the German Hospital Association is pressing the government to reintroduce a mask mandate indoors since a high number of COVID-19 infections has made normal hospital operations "no longer possible."

"We have the situation that we currently actually have as many corona patients as at peak times this year," Gerald Gass, the head of the association, told German media.

With the number of infections continuing to rise in Germany, Gass said the hospitals "will probably have to report a new record figure next week."

What is the situation in German hospitals?

Gass noted more hospital employees are out sick themselves as numbers rise. Additionally, a high number of respiratory diseases beyond the coronavirus has also contributed to the strain on the health system.

In about half of the hospitals in Germany, Gass said, "scheduled operations and treatments are already being postponed, beds are being closed due to a lack of staff, and hospitals have to temporarily withdraw from emergency care."

"State governments should work with their regional health departments to see where mandatory masks are appropriate indoors, including in large crowds," Gass added.

The hospitals' association chief said it is not just a question of regulations and requirements but of "appealing to people to voluntarily wear masks for precautionary purposes and to take advantage of the recommended vaccinations."

What is the state of mask mandates in Germany?

Germany's health minister has previously called for the country's 16 states to reintroduce a mask mandate indoors. The decision to do so though will ultimately be left up to the state level.

So far, most of the country has taken a wait and see approach with masks only mandatory on public transportation, elderly care homes and hospitals.

Only Berlin and Brandenburg so far are considering reintroducing mask mandates indoors, while Lower Saxony will introduce restrictions based on the number of infections.

What are the current COVID numbers is Germany?

The Robert Koch Institute, which provides the statistics on COVID-19 infections in Germany, said on Saturday that the seven-day incidence of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants is 731.9, down only slightly from the previous day's number of 760.1 infections per 100,000 inhabitants.

Experts believe the number of infections is likely higher because many no longer take a PCR test to find out if they have COVID-19 so are not appearing in official statistics. Health Minister Lauterbach believes the number is likely three or four times the official statistics.

At the same time, because many in Germany were vaccinated or already recovered from COVID, the number of those falling seriously ill or dying is much less than it was.

ar/dj (AFP, dpa)