The at best friendly reminder that masks are still compulsory on the ICE was just as much a part of the conductor’s announcement during the pandemic as the obligatory thank you for the journey with Deutsche Bahn. Now it is passé: This Thursday, the nationwide obligation to wear a corona protective mask on long-distance trains will no longer apply. In local public transport, passengers in Berlin, Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania can now decide for themselves whether they want to get on with or without. Thuringia should follow on Friday.
This worries the social association VdK. Risk groups should still be protected, he appeals, and immediately provides a solution: compartments where masks are still mandatory. Many people, especially those with previous illnesses, are still afraid of getting infected on the bus and train, said VdK President Verena Bentele of the German Press Agency. That’s why tailor-made solutions are needed. “For example, separate areas would be conceivable that are reserved for people who want a mask,” comparable to quiet compartments in ICEs.
A question of technology and personnel
Railway and transport companies react with incomprehension. One adheres to official requirements for infection protection, Deutsche Bahn informs on request. “Designated areas in our long-distance trains, in which the mask requirement still applies, are not provided for here.” Eike Arnold, spokesman for the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV), also refers to the lack of a legal framework: “There is no legal basis for this.”
In addition, says Arnold, cautious people are still free to protect themselves and others by wearing a mask. In addition, Deutsche Bahn recommends further personal precautions. Vulnerable passengers could inquire online in advance about the occupancy of trains and carry out contactless ticket checks during the journey.
Personal responsibility instead of duty, in the spirit of Federal Justice Minister Marco Buschmann (FDP). The FDP has been calling for an early end to all protective measures for a long time and has thus caused friction within the traffic light coalition. In the case of the mask requirement in long-distance public transport, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) finally gave in in mid-January. “We simply have to rely more on personal responsibility and voluntariness,” he said. In view of the high immunization of the population, the pandemic situation has stabilized.
Even if there were a requirement from the legislature, the idea of VdK President Bentele would fail in public transport because of the implementation, says Maximilian Kaltner, spokesman for the Munich transport company (MVG). For technical reasons, on the one hand. Newer trains and buses of the MVG are continuous, so they cannot be divided into separate areas. In addition, he does not know who should enforce compliance with the mask requirement in the designated areas. “We don’t have the staff,” says Kaltner.
The risk of infection on buses and trains is not considered to be particularly high
With the same argument, many municipal transport companies had spoken out in favor of an end to the general obligation to wear masks. In the case of the MVG, ticket inspectors were responsible for admonishing and, if necessary, punishing those who refused to wear a mask until the mask requirement in Bavaria expired at the end of the year. “There were a lot of ugly scenes,” says Kaltner. In an emergency, the police were called, which resulted in the train or bus being stopped – massive disruption to traffic.
In reality, the obligation to wear masks is a thing of the past, according to the transport companies. Nobody is obliged to wear a mask in the supermarket or in the office. “For the different treatment,” says VDV spokesman Arnold, “there is no basis.” Studies have now shown that buses and trains do not pose an extraordinarily high risk of infection due to the short stay of passengers and regular ventilation.