Berlin/Düsseldorf (dpa/lnw) – NRW Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst (CDU) confirmed before the start of the Prime Ministers’ Conference in Berlin that NRW would adhere to the mask requirement in public transport. “We are adhering to the recommendations of the Robert Koch Institute, which has served us well throughout the pandemic,” said Wüst on Deutschlandfunk in the morning. The pandemic is not over, people have gotten used to wearing masks on public transport. NRW is densely populated, buses and trains are full in the morning. So he thinks caution is the right thing to do.
When pointed out that in other countries – such as Bavaria – the mask requirement was expiring, Wüst said: “Everyone has to decide for themselves in the overall view of the situation in their country. You can also endure a bit of difference.”
Regarding the dispute over the planned 49-euro ticket, Wüst said that the transport associations’ demand for a surcharge because of energy prices was justified. The federal government must find an answer. “It’s a traffic light project.” “The federal government will have to deal very seriously with these demands from the transport companies if it still wants to save its 49-euro ticket project,” said the NRW Prime Minister.