Deutsche Bahn wants to act harder against those who refuse to wear masks. Passengers without a mouth-to-nose covering will have to count on references in the future. The announcement does not go far enough for the Greens and the train drivers' union. You demand further action.
The Deutsche Bahn wants to enforce compliance with the mask requirement in trains for protection against the corona virus if necessary with references. "If a minority disregards existing rules, this is unacceptable for us," said the federally owned company in Berlin. Such references are already possible for passengers who stubbornly refuse. Together with the federal police, this will also be "consistently" implemented. CSU Federal Minister of Transport Andreas Scheuer agreed: "The mask requirement applies without ifs and buts." The Greens and the union of German train drivers (GDL) called for further steps.
The railway emphasized: "The vast majority of travelers still adhere to the mask requirement." If passengers refused after repeated requests, this was not acceptable. Then the passenger will be asked to get off the train at the next stop, said a spokesman for the Federal Ministry of the Interior – if necessary, the federal police will come and report violations.
Train references are possible according to the Railway Traffic Regulations, as the Federal Ministry of Transport explained. It stipulates that "Persons who pose a risk to the safety and order of the company or the safety of fellow passengers or who do not follow the instructions of the railway staff" can be excluded from transport – without being entitled to reimbursement of the fare. No information was given on how many passengers had to get off. The railway explained that they provide broad information about the obligation to wear a mask in trains, in train stations and on the Internet. It is also about "living mutual respect and feeling responsibility for the health of each individual and in the general population".
Fines in long-distance trains are a national matter
The Ministry of Transport asked the railway to strictly observe the mask requirement. The group should also report regularly to the federal government. Green railway expert Matthias Gastel complained that during his journeys on long-distance trains he "never noticed" that the train staff responded to travelers without a mask about their misconduct. He called for "clear responsibility of the federal police", as the "Süddeutsche Zeitung" reported. In addition, the reservation system should be changed so that it allocates seats at a distance. Individual wagons could be reserved for risk groups. Saver fare tickets should only be available for lightly used trains in order not to lure more passengers into foreseeably full trains.
The train drivers union GDL warned that the enforcement of the mask requirement is now a massive problem. Especially when more passengers came and Corona cases increased, they had to be strictly observed. "Passengers are always put off when mask refusers are on the train and they switch to the car," said GDL boss Claus Weselsky. Among other things, the use of security personnel is necessary. On the other hand, train attendants have to be shown more respect.
With regard to the question of fines, the Federal Ministry of the Interior explained that the respective state regulations on the obligation to wear a mask also apply to long-distance trains, some of which provide for sanctions for violations. So it depends on where a long-distance train is traveling in the event of an infringement – the competent state authority can then be informed.
. (tagsToTranslate) Economy (t) Corona crisis (t) Deutsche Bahn (t) Mask requirement