Munich (dpa/lby) - Bavaria's Health Minister Klaus Holetschek (CSU) justified the decision to lift the mask requirement in local public transport on Tuesday after a cabinet meeting. The corona virus no longer accounts for the main part of viral diseases - influenza and RS virus have much higher proportions of the sick in hospitals. In this respect, a mask requirement to protect against the corona virus is no longer proportionate, said Holetschek.

However, he emphasized that the state government continues to recommend wearing masks - to protect against corona and other diseases. Regarding the corona situation, Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) wrote on Twitter: "The infection situation has been stable for a long time." With a seven-day incidence of 106, Bavaria is around the national average, said Head of State Florian Herrmann (CSU).

The cabinet had previously decided to lift the mask requirement after December 9th. This means that one of the great bastions in the fight against the disease in the Free State has fallen. Masks are now still compulsory in medical practices, hospitals or old people’s homes.