Berlin/Düsseldorf (dpa/lnw) - After the abolition of the mask requirement in local public transport in North Rhine-Westphalia, passengers can now also travel on ICEs and other long-distance trains again without mouth and nose protection. After almost three years of Corona, the obligation to wear it in long-distance traffic will no longer apply from this Thursday.
Originally, the obligation in long-distance traffic was to remain in place until the beginning of April. By decree, Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach (SPD) brought the expiration to February 2nd.
Masks have not been compulsory in public transport in NRW since Wednesday. A few days ago, when the decision was announced, the NRW Ministry of Health referred to a relaxed infection situation and a high degree of immunization. If you want to protect yourself in particular, you can voluntarily wear a mask on buses and trains. Minister of Health Lauterbach also advised to continue wearing one voluntarily. On Wednesday, there were actually still many passengers with mouth and nose protection on the road, as some large transport companies in NRW reported.
In the nine remaining federal states, in which the regulation still applied in regional transport, the mask requirement in public transport was dropped on Thursday. All over Germany, buses and trains can be used again without a mask. A spokesman for the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV) said that an obligation had not been necessary for a long time from the point of view of the industry in view of the pandemic situation. A few weeks ago, Deutsche Bahn had already spoken out in favor of an early end to masks on long-distance trains.
