No extension of the mask obligation: Appeal to wear masks

The mask requirement in Berlin will not be extended for the time being, even though the Corona numbers have shown an upward trend in recent weeks.

This was agreed by the Senate on Tuesday after renewed consultation and a hearing of experts, as announced by the Governing Mayor Franziska Giffey (SPD). Instead, the Senate appealed to all Berliners to wear a medical face mask in publicly accessible indoor spaces where several people are present.

Extension of the Corona Ordinance

The Infection Protection Ordinance, which is valid until the end of this week and which, for example, prescribes the longstanding obligation to wear masks in public transport, will be supplemented by the Appeal by decision of the Senate and extended until 24 November.

Tightening of the mask requirement not currently planned in any federal state

Giffey justified the Senate's action, among other things, by stating that no other federal state wanted to tighten the mask requirement at the moment - not even the neighbouring state of Brandenburg. This had become well known at the Minister Presidents' Conference at the end of last week. The health ministers of the federal states, on the other hand, had agreed on Monday to work out criteria as a basis for measures such as compulsory masks. After all, any obligation is a restriction of civil liberties that must be well justified. An extension of the mask requirement in Berlin on its own could be "prone to legal action", Giffey said.