Germany to Scrap Mask Mandate in Long-Distance Transport

Germany will soon stop requiring masks on long-distance trains and buses, the health minister said on Friday, one of the country’s last remaining COVID-19 restrictions.

The mandate will be removed on February 2, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach announced in Berlin.

Other European countries have already scrapped mask mandates in public transport, and Lauterbach has faced mounting pressure in recent weeks to follow suit. Masks are mandatory for practicing doctors, while masks and negative tests are still required to enter hospitals and nursing homes.

Local transport regulations are a matter for Germany’s 16 state governments, and a growing number have dropped or are abandoning their mask mandates. Some have even waived rules requiring infected people to isolate at home.

The long-distance transport rules were due to expire on April 7, although the law allows them to be suspended earlier if conditions are better than expected.

After one of Germany’s top virologists said shortly after Christmas that the pandemic was over, Lauterbach – who has long taken a cautious approach – faced growing calls from inside and outside the governing coalition to step away.

“The epidemic situation has stabilized,” the minister said on Friday, adding that the number of known or suspected infections is stable or falling, and the number of hospitalized people continues to decline.

“The population has built up high immunity, and the experts who advise us no longer believe there will be another big, severe cold wave,” he said. “At this point, we don’t even expect to reach particularly dangerous forms in the coming weeks and months.”

Lauterbach appealed to those who want to continue to voluntarily wear masks indoors and on trains.

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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)