GERMANY INCINERATES 3 BILLION UNUSED COVID-19 MASKS AS COSTS MOUNT

BERLIN, Feb 6 (Bernama-dpa) -- The German government said it has incinerated approximately 3 billion unused protective face masks purchased at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, reported German news agency dpa.

According to a response from the Health Ministry to a parliamentary inquiry revealed on Thursday, roughly half of the nearly 6 billion masks originally acquired have already been sent for "thermal recovery" — a recycling process involving incineration to generate energy.

The government has spent roughly €8 million (US$9.4 million) so far on these disposal efforts, which are carried out by external contractors following a public tender process.

The massive destruction of the unused medical gear has reignited a fierce political debate over the ministry's procurement decisions.

The German Federal Court of Auditors had previously revealed in 2024 that the Health Ministry purchased a total of 5.7 billion masks for approximately €5.9 billion, even though "the actual demand was much lower."

German news magazine Der Spiegel reported on Thursday that a further 85 million masks are expected to be destroyed by the end of 2026 as they reach their expiry date.

Another 360 million masks are still being stored because they are the subject of ongoing court disputes with suppliers seeking outstanding payments from the federal government. Much of this stock is also expected to be disposed of eventually, the report said.

Only 2.12 billion masks were ever distributed during the pandemic, according to government figures cited by Der Spiegel. 

--BERNAMA-dpa