LESSONS LEARNED: ACQUIRING PROTECTIVE FACE MASKS IN THE COURSE OF A PANDEMIC

In the midst of the current Covid-19 crisis, there is an unprecedented worldwide demand for protective face masks. Despite various efforts by the EU and the national legislator in order to ensure swift availability of PPE and medical devices, there are currently considerable hurdles obstructing the acquisition of masks on the world market. Apart from the obvious difficulty in relation to shipment, meeting the required quality standards of masks proves to be particularly challenging. Having assisted a public body in acquiring protective face masks on the world market, we summarize in the file below the most important lessons learned.