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Mask wearers on an S-Bahn
Photo:
Marijan Murat / dpa
At the beginning of February, the obligation to wear a corona mask on buses and trains throughout Germany should be over.
After the announcement by Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach (SPD) that the mask requirement in long-distance transport would be lifted on February 2nd, other federal states followed suit on Friday afternoon with easing.
In Hamburg and North Rhine-Westphalia, the pandemic-related mask requirement in local transport should fall around February 1st.
The states announced this on Friday afternoon.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Health in North Rhine-Westphalia referred to a further easing of the infection situation.
This will also create consistency with the regulation in long-distance transport, since the federal government announced that it would abolish the obligation to wear a mask in long-distance transport at the beginning of February.
"Of course, those who want to protect themselves can wear a mask voluntarily."
“We have the pandemic under control”
A day later, on February 2nd, the mask requirement in local transport should also end in Bremen, Hesse, Lower Saxony, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland.
The other nine countries had already ended the mask requirement in local transport or announced their abolition by the beginning of February.
Bavaria, Saxony-Anhalt and Schleswig-Holstein have already abolished them.
"We have the pandemic under control," said Lower Saxony's Prime Minister Stephan Weil, explaining the decision to the "Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung".
In Hamburg, the obligation to wear masks and the obligation to isolate are no longer applicable.
This was announced by the health authority.
»Hamburg has a very high vaccination rate.
In addition, there is great immune protection for the population," said Health Senator Melanie Schlotzhauer (SPD).
In addition, the number of infections has been declining since Christmas.
"Against this background, we can lift the measures to contain the corona pandemic at the end of the month."
The authority then relies on the personal responsibility of the people of Hamburg, said the senator.
»Everyone can decide for themselves when it makes sense to wear a mask.«
With the abolition of the obligation to isolate, you no longer have to isolate yourself at home in Hamburg from February 1st or have a positive rapid test checked with a PCR test.
Bremen and Lower Saxony had already decided on Thursday to lift the obligation to isolate on February 1st.
sol/fek/dpa