In future, the 3G rule will apply to bus and train journeys. What do passengers need to know about the new Corona measure in public transport? An overview.
Frankfurt – Bundestag and Bundesrat have passed a new infection protection law to contain the coronavirus in order to reduce the high number of infections in Germany. The regulation provides for a 3G rule in public transport. Passengers must therefore be vaccinated against Corona, recovered from Covid-19 or tested negative for the virus.
In the future, tickets and mouth and nose covers alone will no longer be enough to legally travel by bus or train. To protect against corona, only those who can prove with a vaccination certificate, certificate or app that they have been vaccinated, recovered or tested are allowed to ride.
3G in public transport: Corona exemptions for children
It is currently unclear when 3G will apply in buses and trains. The federal government assumes Wednesday (November 24th, 2021). But it also depends on when Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier signs the amended Infection Protection Act. The presidential office said it would not come into force before the middle of the week. The 3G rule will then also apply to the workplace.
There are exceptions to the 3G rule for minors. Children and adolescents who go to school and children under six years of age do not need any corona test, vaccination or recovery certificates in local transport. Students are expected to take regular tests at school.
Corona: 3G rule in public transport complicates life for unvaccinated people
The daily commute to work, university or shopping can be a complicated affair for the unvaccinated – especially if you need a bus or train to get to a test station. At the start of the journey, the test acceptance must not be more than 24 hours ago. Employers have to put two corona tests per week. There is a free “citizen test” per week at the test stations. Who pays for tests for the other days of the week is open.
Passengers must show proof of corona on request. According to the law, the companies are responsible for the controls – despite all warnings that their employees are not 3G police. “The transport companies are therefore already approaching the police and regulatory authorities on site so that effective spot checks can be carried out together,” said the Association of German Transport Companies. “At the same time, this increases the security required for our inspectors to carry out this difficult sovereign task.”
The Hessian transport associations have already agreed random 3G checks with the police and the regulatory authorities. The head of the RMV, Knut Ringat, also appealed to personal responsibility – similar to speed limits, which most people adhere to even without complete control.
3G controls on public transport: Warning words from Verdi
Before the new Infection Protection Act was passed, Christine Behle, Vice Chairman of Verdi, said: “If 3G is to be introduced in local public transport, the first thing to do is to clarify the question of control and enforcement. A half-baked regulation is certainly of no use to the protection against infection and puts the employees in danger. ”The union points out that aggressive behavior and attacks occur again and again during corona checks of the mask requirement.
The railway company wants to announce at the beginning of the week how it is dealing with the new requirements. Deutsche Bahn had shown itself to be open to 3G at an early stage. It is true that it is easier to keep an eye on passengers in an ICE than in an underground train. Comprehensive corona checks are not to be expected on the railways either.
With a mask, the risk of getting Covid is no higher in buses and trains than elsewhere, emphasize the transport companies since the beginning of the corona pandemic and refer to studies. The well-known virologist Christian Drosten recently dampened expectations of 3G in traffic. One is in a time of high incidence and must expect that vaccinated people present have a substantial risk of being infected undetected. The goal of protecting unvaccinated people from infection is thus missed.
3G in public transport: these are the corona rules in taxis
If around three quarters as many passengers have recently boarded buses and trains as before the Corona crisis, the transport companies are now expecting a decline again. They are counting on the billion-dollar state rescue package being set up over local transport in the new year as well.
There are no passenger access restrictions in taxis. 3G does not apply here. The industry is relieved that drivers do not have to check corona tests and vaccination certificates. “For the driver, however, as at all other workplaces, 3G applies,” said Thomas Oppermann, President of the Federal Association of Taxi and Rental Cars. However, if you get into a taxi, you have to wear a mask. (tvd / dpa)
