Austrian officials said Friday a doctor had been barred from practising and was under investigation for issuing notes to those not wanting to abide by orders mandating face masks in certain public places. Martin Nowak of the doctors' association in the state of Styria told AFP one of its members -- whom he couldn't name -- had been barred from praticising pending the outcome of a disciplinary procedure. A doctor in the same region named Peer Eifler said on his Facebook page that he had been barred from practising. Eifler has attracted attention in Austria by disputing the dangers of the coronavirus and offering a doctor's note to exempt people from mask wearing in return for a 20 euro ($23) fee. Regarding Eifler's claim that he was the doctor in question, Nowak added: "If that's what he says, then we won't dispute it." The public prosecutor in the town of Leoben, Andreas Riedler, told AFP on Friday that his office ordered police to raid a doctor's home following multiple complaints from the doctors' association and from residents that he was issuing medical notes without the required examination. While prosecutors also would not name the man concerned, Eifler posted about the raid on his Facebook page. "We're leading an investigation on the suspicion that he falsified evidence, because for a doctor's note to be issued, the law requires an examination of that patient," Riedler said. The doctor is not cooperating and has declined to give a statement to authorities, but police secured several data storage devices during their raid, Riedler said. Due to doctor-patient confidentiality, it is unclear how many notes Eifler has already issued, but the news that people could get them simply by messaging Eifler and transferring 20 euros spread fast on social media, leading to news reports that alerted the doctors' association. Austria currently requires masks be worn in all public indoor spaces such as shops as well as on public transport, at outdoor markets and at cafes and restaurants for customers who are not at their tables. The country with a population of nearly nine million people has recorded close to 47,000 cases and more than 800 deaths from coronavirus. deh/jsk/erc