In Germany, Doctors Are Taking It All Off

German doctors are stripping off their clothes to protest shortages of personal protective equipment. Photos appearing to show nude medical workers with body parts artfully obscured by stethoscopes and other medical equipment have been posted to the website Blanke Bedenken, which translates to "Naked Qualms," per the Guardian. "We are your GPs. To be able to treat you safely, we need protective gear," the site reads, per CNN. "The nudity is a symbol of how vulnerable we are without protection," one doctor tells German media, per the Guardian.

The protest was reportedly inspired by Alain Colombié, a French doctor photographed naked in his practice in late March. Colombié, who said the lack of PPE followed months of warnings from health workers, intended to "push a stunt and come to the defense of the entire family of healthcare workers," per the Mirror. A recent study cited by the Guardian found German doctors were in need of 150 million masks, some 60 million gloves, and 60 million aprons. Germany's health ministry describes "worldwide supply shortages," per CNN. (More coronavirus stories.)