Enlarge image
Train journey: In future only with proof of vaccination, convalescence or test
Photo: AscentXmedia / Getty Images
Federal Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer (CDU) had resisted the introduction of the 3G rule in long-distance trains a few weeks ago - but the escalating corona situation in Germany now makes it necessary.
Due to the sharp rise in corona numbers, the Bundestag and Bundesrat recently decided that passengers on buses and trains must in future be vaccinated, recovered or tested (3G).
This 3G rule is one of the measures that is intended to help alleviate the fourth corona wave.
Read the answers to the most important questions here.
When does the new rule apply?
It is not yet entirely clear when 3G will apply in buses and trains.
The federal government assumes Wednesday.
But it also depends on when Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier signs the amended Infection Protection Act.
The presidential office said it would not come into force before the middle of this week.
Which controls are planned in local transport?
more on the subject
Corona procrastination of the transport minister: Why Andreas Scheuer cannot manage a 3G rule in long-distance trainsBy Julia Stanek
Off for 3G in long-distance trains: "Control when boarding is excluded"
Proof of vaccination or recovery or the negative corona test must be shown on request.
According to the law, the transport companies are responsible for the controls.
However, in late summer during the debate about the 3G obligation, they warned that their employees would not be able to take on the task.
"The transport companies are already approaching the local police and public order offices so that effective spot checks can be carried out together," said the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV).
"At the same time, this increases the security required for our inspectors to carry out this difficult sovereign task."
In any case, the train attendants will not do that, said Claus Weselsky, chairman of the German Locomotive Drivers' Union (GDL), on Sunday evening in the ARD program »Report from Berlin«.
"That is not part of your job."
Weselsky sharply criticizes the 3G rule in buses and trains.
"Nobody answers the question of who should implement or control it." The union chairman complains about the "increased potential for aggression" that has been evident for several years.
“And tense situations” such as the current corona pandemic “still promote that”.
The Hessian transport associations have already agreed random checks with the police and the regulatory authorities.
The head of the Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund, Knut Ringat, also appealed for personal responsibility - similar to speed limits, which most people adhere to even without complete control.
"Above all, we rely on people to understand that these rules help to avoid infection," said Helmut Dedy, General Manager of the German Association of Cities.
Dedy considers a 3G rule in buses and trains to be the right thing to do to contain Corona again.
"But it only works if everyone adheres to it." Controls are only possible through spot checks or concerted days of action with transport companies, regulatory agencies and the police.
How does Deutsche Bahn now plan to implement 3G?
The group wants to announce at the beginning of the week how it is dealing with the new requirements.
After the resolution of the new Infection Protection Act, the railway had shown itself to be open to 3G.
Although it is easier to keep an eye on passengers in an ICE than in an underground train, comprehensive controls are not to be expected on trains either.
Is there an exception for children?
Children and adolescents who go to school, as well as children under six years of age, do not need any test, vaccination or recovery certificates in local transport.
Students are expected to take regular tests at school.
School transport is exempt from the 3G rule, so proof is not required on school buses either.
What are the rules for the tests?
Anyone who has not been vaccinated or recovered must show a negative corona test when starting the journey; the test must not be more than 24 hours ago.
A self-test is not enough.
Unvaccinated people who are dependent on buses and trains every day will therefore have to be tested every day.
There is at least one free “citizen test” per week at the test stations.
Employers have to put two tests a week.
Anyone who pays for additional tests is open.
How high is the risk of infection in buses and trains?
This question cannot be answered with certainty - if only because contact tracking is not possible in local public transport.
In any case, passengers are constantly getting on and off buses or S-Bahn trains.
But even on long-distance trains operated by Deutsche Bahn, there is no obligation to make a reservation.
On the contrary: "The number of reservations is limited from the start," it says on the Deutsche Bahn website.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the transport companies have emphasized that the risk of getting Covid is no higher in buses and trains than elsewhere - provided that a mask is required.
In fact, there have also been studies on this, but these were made before the delta variant became rampant.
The virologist Christian Drosten recently dampened expectations of 3G in traffic.
One is in a time of high incidence and must expect that vaccinated people present have a substantial risk of being infected undetected.
The goal of protecting unvaccinated people from infection is thus not achieved.
What economic consequences does the industry fear?
If the number of passengers on buses and trains was around three-quarters as many as before the pandemic, the transport companies are now expecting another decline.
They are betting that the state will help local transport in the new year with a billion-dollar rescue package.
Will 3G also apply to taxis in the future?
There is no access restriction for passengers there, 3G does not apply here.
The industry is relieved that drivers do not have to check corona tests and vaccination certificates.
"For the driver, however, as at all other workplaces, 3G applies," said Michael Oppermann, Managing Director of the Federal Association of Taxi and Rental Cars.
However, if you get into a taxi, you have to wear a mask.
jus / dpa
