German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (pictured) announced on Friday it would no longer be mandatory to wear face coverings on long-distance trains and buses from February 2, dropping one of the country's last remaining COVID-19 restrictions.
"The pandemic situation has stabilized," Lauterbach said, adding that that population has built an immunity. "At this point, we also don't foresee particularly dangerous variants reaching us in the coming weeks and months," the health minister concluded.
Other European countries have already dropped the requirement to wear face coverings on public transport as Lauterbach faced pressure from ministers to follow the trend. It is still, however, necessary to provide a negative COVID-19 test and wear a mask in order to enter hospitals and nursing homes.
