Doctor sold fake COVID mask exemptions, German court says. She’s heading to prison
A German court sentenced a doctor to multiple years in prison for issuing over 4,200 false mask exemptions to avoid COVID-19 requirements, according to media reports.
The doctor was convicted of “issuing incorrect health certificates” to thousands of people across Germany whom she did not meet nor medically examine, the Associated Press reported.
The more than 4,200 fake certificates were issued to exempt people from wearing masks required by the country’s COVID-19 protocols, German outlet SWR reported. The doctor’s lawyer plans to appeal the ruling, the outlet reported.
Although protocols have varied throughout the pandemic and in different regions, Germany’s strict coronavirus protocols have consistently required people to wear a mask, often medical grade, in indoor and outdoor public places. People were generally required to wear a mask unless they had medical mask-exemption certificates.
Exemptions are for people unable to wear a mask “on account of a health disorder, chronic illness or disability,” according to Germany’s coronavirus protocols last updated Nov. 7.
The doctor, however, did not conduct medical examinations nor evaluate the previous illnesses of most of those she gave mask exemptions, SWR reported.
Rather, “the process is more reminiscent of a sale of certificates than a medical procedure,” the Weinheim District Court said in a statement Tuesday, Jan. 3, the Associated Press reported. The court did not fault the doctor for issuing mask exemption certificates to her existing patients.
In exchange for issuing the false mask exemptions, the doctor received about $29,550 in payment, the judge said, per SWR.
The doctor has publicly spoken against masking requirements, German outlet Süddeutsche Zeitung reported. Instead, she claimed masking was harmful to people’s health, SWR reported.
According to medical health professionals at the World Health Organization and the CDC, face masks are not harmful to people’s health and provide important preventative measures to reduce transmission of COVID-19.
The court sentenced the doctor to 2 years and 9 months in prison, a three-year work ban and ordered her to repay the $29,550 she received for the false certificates, the Associated Press reported.
An employee of the doctor was accused of aiding and abetting the scheme, Süddeutsche Zeitung reported. The employee received a $2,850 fine but no prison time, Badische Zeitung reported.
Weinheim is about 330 miles southwest of Berlin.
Google Translate was used to translate articles from SWR, Süddeutsche Zeitung and Badische Zeitung.
This story was originally published January 3, 2023 at 3:54 PM with the headline "Doctor sold fake COVID mask exemptions, German court says. She’s heading to prison."
