On Wednesday morning, Federal police officers were in the Berlin S-Bahn in the new Mission. The two officials controlled between the Charlottenburg and friedrichstraße stations to the passengers as to whether they were wearing mouth-nose protection. The mask duty is in Berlin not new. What is new is that the Wearing of a mask, a cloth or scarves is controlled in the public transport from now on.

Markus Wehner

Political correspondent in Berlin.

F. A. Z. Twitter

Who is a mask muffle, and the duty is ignored, you can from today to the Fund are requested, with amounts of between 50 and 500 euros. The Berlin Senate decided on Tuesday. The 500 Euro would, however, be levied only “in the event of permanent Obstinacy,” of mask objectors, said the governing mayor Michael Müller (SPD).

The decision was long overdue. Since weeks is observed in Berlin, that fewer and fewer people in buses and trains, a mouth-nose protection. Who a picture is provided, for example, in Neukölln on the U7 at Hermannplatz, and had to find that around a third of the passengers were “Topless” on the road. In a U-Bahn line, which is usually filled so full that the passengers forced themselves very close to. Sometimes there were only one-fifth, sometimes, half of the passengers who boarded without a face mask. Especially young men scored better on the annoying Utensil, but could be identified mask muffle of both sexes and every age group.

The number of cases is rising again

the latest Corona-the Situation in the capital speaks in favour of the penalty decision. Because for the last two weeks, the Infection is rising again in Berlin. Although June is not over yet, there are 1159 Neuinfizierte – throughout may, there were only 934. This has to do mainly with locally limited Corona eruptions. So in the Neukölln 369 households in seven locations under quarantine until Tuesday, 106 people were tested positive. Also in the district of Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, a living was made complex in the Ostbahnhof station, under quarantine, there had not been tested until Tuesday 44 people positive. In both districts has the Virus, especially in Roma families spread out, living in very cramped conditions. Health Senator Dilek Kalayci (SPD) said on Wednesday in the RBB, you have concern that it could lead to spread of infections, then Berlin would have announced may be just easing back take.

Many of the district mayor had demanded for weeks in a fine for mask muffle, and communicated even in telephone conferences, the Berlin interior Senator Andreas hostage (SPD). There had to be sanctions, otherwise a mask of duty was a “but of fun and laughter”, had said of neukölln mayor Martin Hikel last week, the F. A., for example. The social Democrat also saw the Problem of how he should justify more stringent restrictions in his district, when a simple obligation is not enforced. “How am I supposed to expose people to a quarantine, if the General public takes the simplest of rules seriously?”