Most of the 5.8 billion face masks that former Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) procured during his controversial buying tour at the start of the Corona crisis have now been burned unused. According to the government’s answers to a parliamentary question from the Greens and to an inquiry by “Spiegel” approximately three billion masks have gone to incinerators, incurring disposal costs of about €8 million. The numbers may rise to another 85 million masks by the end of 2026 as their minimum‑use dates expire.
Out of the 5.8 billion masks for which the federal government spent €5.9 billion, only 2.12 billion have actually been distributed, the ministry says. The remaining, unburnt, undistributed masks are largely held for legal reasons. About 360 million of them are “masks that are the subject of ongoing proceedings”. They are kept as evidence while dozens of mask wholesalers run lawsuits over pending payments from the state. Even these masks are likely to be disposed of in the long run.