Munich (dpa / lby) – Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) has once again promised an early end to the mask requirement in local public transport in Bavaria. “We are convinced that the mask requirement in public transport could expire either in mid-December or at the beginning of next year, if the numbers remain reasonably stable and there are no new mutations,” said Söder on Monday after a video call by the CSU board of directors Monday. The state government will decide on this “promptly”.

The current version of the Bavarian Infection Protection Ordinance expires on December 9th, which stipulates, among other things, the obligation to wear a mask in local public transport. While the federal states decide for themselves whether a mask is compulsory in local transport, the federal government is responsible for long-distance transport. According to the current Infection Protection Act, the mask requirement will apply there until April 2023. Söder criticized the fact that the mask requirement on planes has been abolished, but still applies to long-distance transport.

In addition, after the CSU switch, Söder drew a first positive balance of the lifting of the isolation requirement for people infected with corona in Bavaria. It currently looks as if this was “a right step,” he said, referring to the low number of infections in the Free State. Last week, Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and Schleswig-Holstein abolished the obligation to isolate, and in Hesse it is expected to cease on Wednesday. “I can only recommend that other federal states do it,” said Söder.