Erfurt (dpa/th) - By the end of March at the latest, the mask requirement in Thuringia should also fall on buses and regional trains. "I am very much assuming that we will be able to end the mask requirement in public transport by the end of March at the latest," said Thuringia's Health Minister Heike Werner (left) of the German Press Agency. Werner pointed out the Federal Infection Protection Act, which is still valid until April. It also stipulates the obligation to wear a mask in long-distance traffic.
There could possibly be a relaxation earlier in Thuringia - if the infection situation allows it. “With every ordinance that we extend, we look at: Have the circumstances changed, are there options for reversing measures?” Werner explained. This also applies to the obligation to isolate.
In March, many people were again out and about outdoors, which reduced the risk of infection again.
Several federal states have already abolished the mask requirement in local public transport - such as Bavaria and Saxony-Anhalt.
Werner then made it clear that Thuringia initially wanted to stick to the regulations. She referred to the recommendations of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) and the Federal Ministry of Health. The Left politician also argued that the new omicron subline BQ.1.1 is increasingly being found in wastewater. "We know there is a high number of unreported cases," she said now. Many people no longer let themselves be tested or stay at home because they think they have a cold. "The numbers no longer show us the true image."
According to the RKI, the corona incidence in Thuringia on Wednesday was 111.7 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants within seven days - and thus the lowest nationwide in a state comparison.
