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Silence against the virus: "30 seconds of speaking produces as much aerosols as a short cough"
Photo: Frank Hoermann / SVEN SIMON / imago images
SPIEGEL:
Mr. Wortmann, you'd like it to be quiet on the train and bus.
How so?
Ingo Wortmann:
When people speak, they emit a lot of aerosols; with regard to the transmission of the coronavirus, it is just as dangerous as coughing.
The aerosols when speaking are even finer and can stay in the air longer.
We do not understand our appeal as a vow of silence as in the monastery.
Certain rules are already part of good etiquette, such as coughing and sneezing into the crook of your arm.
We would like to add another point to this and, above all, prevent loud phone calls.
To person
Icon: enlarge Photo: VDV
Ingo Wortmann
, born in 1970, is President of the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV) and Chairman of the Management Board of the Munich Transport Company.
During the corona pandemic, he advocates stricter measures in local public transport - such as recommending that passengers keep silent as possible.
SPIEGEL:
Local public transport is usually a place of communication, people talk to people sitting next to them and yes: make phone calls.
Can you really forbid people to talk?
Wortmann:
We cannot and do not want to prohibit our passengers from speaking.
In terms of house rules, we could forbid telephoning, but we also want to do without that.
In my role as Chairman of the Management Board of the Münchner Verkehrsgesellschaft, I am currently working instead on a new recommendation for local transport in Munich.
This includes, for example, that the top-hung windows on older trains should remain open permanently.
And precisely that passengers prefer to make phone calls outside of the bus or train.
We rely on the sense of responsibility of each individual.
We don't want to curb our passengers, we want to protect them.
"Just 30 seconds of speaking produces as much aerosols as a short cough"
Ingo Wortmann
SPIEGEL:
You described the newly imposed obligation to wear medical masks in local public transport as “not necessary” - at the same time you want passengers to be silent on buses and trains.
Is it really that much more effective?
Wortmann:
I have changed my mind a bit due to the current developments.
Of course, we should do everything we can to prevent infection with the coronavirus in public transport.
FFP2 masks and also the surgical masks help better than simple everyday masks.
I was concerned that if there was a nationwide FFP2 mask requirement in public transport and in retail, there would not be enough masks available and that this requirement would manifest a gap between rich and poor.
As far as I can judge the situation here in Bavaria, everything went well and masks were distributed to people who couldn't afford them.
Therefore, I now welcome the new rule, especially since the cheaper surgical masks have also been explicitly included in the nationwide obligation.
However, it has been scientifically proven that just 30 seconds of speaking produces as much aerosols as a brief cough.
And I myself have already seen someone pull down their mask to make a phone call on the train - that is completely unacceptable.
SPIEGEL: So
far, the federal government has made no move to impose a ban on speaking in local public transport.
If so, how would you want to enforce it?
Wortmann:
I still take the train regularly myself, most recently I used the subway to get to work.
My impression is that people are very disciplined and stick to the rules.
The new mask requirement has also been implemented without any problems.
On Monday, the first day on which the new rule applied, inspectors found a few people without an FFP2 mask.
But they then explained that the masks they had ordered had simply not arrived yet.
We didn't feel any resistance there.
At the moment, nobody drives public transport for fun.
People stick to the rules.
At this point, too, we would rely on the sense of responsibility of the individual.
We cannot control everything and we do not want to scare off our passengers with bans.
SPIEGEL:
Isn't such a ban on speaking on buses and trains still a good idea for all those who already like to speak of the mask as a “muzzle”?
Wortmann:
That is one of the reasons why we do not want a general ban.
This would possibly provoke an attitude of refusal.
With a recommendation, however, we offer significantly fewer points of attack.
Against the background of the high number of deaths, common sense should prevail.
I believe that there are significantly more mature citizens in our country than conspiracy theorists.
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