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DARMSTADT

Bus driver in Germany attacked after asking passenger to wear face mask

A woman in Darmstadt, near Frankfurt, assaulted a bus driver repeatedly after being asked to stick to coronavirus rules and wear a face mask, according to police.

Published: 29 July 2020 15:14 CEST
Updated: 29 July 2020 16:36 CEST
Bus driver in Germany attacked after asking passenger to wear face mask
A sign urging people to wear masks on buses in Frankfurt in Hesse. Photo: DPA

Everyone in Germany is required by law to wear a covering over their face and mouth while on public transport as well as in shops.

On Wednesday police in the city of Darmstadt in Hesse said a bus driver was struck by a passenger and injured after she pointed out the rules.

The female passenger, said to be between 20 and 30-years-old entered the bus with three men and child. No members of the group were covering their mouths and noses.

The bus driver warned the group repeatedly to comply with this regulation. However, police said the group insulted the driver.

At the end of the journey, the suspect then entered the area next to the driver and struck her several times.

The group then fled the scene.

Police are searching for the suspect and have asked witnesses to come forward.

It's the latest in a series of violent attacks on bus drivers. In England last week a driver was attacked for not allowing someone on the bus because they were not wearing a mask.

Earlier this month, a bus driver in France died after being beaten up by passengers who refused to wear face masks.

Meanwhile, several teenagers attacked police and bus drivers recently during a mask check in Friborg, Switzerland, leaving two officers injured.

Bavaria sets up test centres in railway stations and on motorways

Coronavirus test stations for motorists at the Bavarian border as well as for rail travellers at Munich and Nuremberg main stations are scheduled to go into operation on Thursday.

According to the health ministry in Munich, interim test centres are planned near the border crossings Kiefersfelden, Walserberg and Pocking at the rest stops Inntal-Ost and Heuberg, Hochfelln-Nord and Donautal-Ost. The Bavarian state government had decided on Tuesday to set up the test centres.

READ ALSO: Bavaria to offer free coronavirus tests at train stations and motorways

Police break up parties in Berlin

And in Berlin, hundreds of people flouted coronavirus rules by partying in city parks. Up to 1,200 people gathered in the Hasenheide park in Neukölln on Tuesday, according to police.

Police said music was played loudly and people were not following the required 1.5 metre distance rule.

In Volkspark Friedrichshain, about 250 young people gathered on Tuesday night to drink alcohol. Police said bottles were thrown at officers when they tried to break up the gathering.

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HEALTH

Could there be a new wave of Covid-19 in Germany this autumn?

It’s back again: amid sinking temperatures, the incidence of Covid-19 has been slowly rising in Germany. But is this enough to merit worrying about the virus?

Published: 20 September 2023 12:05 CEST
Updated: 20 September 2023 22:22 CEST
Could there be a new wave of Covid-19 in Germany this autumn?

More people donning face masks in supermarkets, friends cancelling plans last minute due to getting sick with Covid-19. We might have seen some of those familiar reminders recently that the coronavirus is still around, but could there really be a resurgence of the virus like we experienced during the pandemic years?

According to virologists, the answer seems to be ‘maybe’: since July, the number of people newly infected with Covid-19 has been slowly rising from a very low level.

According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), nine people per 100,000 inhabitants became newly infected in Germany last week. A year ago, there were only around 270 reported cases.

Various Corona variants are currently on the loose in the country. According to the RKI,  the EG.5 (also called Eris) and XBB.1.16 lines were each detected in the week ending September 3rd with a share of just under 23 percent. 

The highly mutated variant BA.2.86 (Pirola), which is currently under observation by the World Health Organisation (WHO), also arrived in the country this week, according to RKI. 

High number of unreported case

The RKI epidemiologists also warned about a high number of unreported cases since hardly any testing is done. They pointed out that almost half of all registered sewage treatment plants report an increasing viral load in wastewater tests.

The number of hospital admissions has also increased slightly, but are still a far cry from the occupation rate amid the pandemic. Last week it was two per 100,000 inhabitants. In the intensive care units, only 1.2 percent of all beds are occupied by Covid-19 patients.

Still, a good three-quarters (76.4 percent) of people in Germany have been vaccinated at least twice and thus have basic immunity, reported RKI. 

Since Monday, doctors’ offices have been vaccinating with the adapted vaccine from Biontech/Pfizer, available to anyone over 12 years old, with a vaccine for small children set to be released the following week and one for those between 5 and 11 to come out October 2nd.

But Health Minister Karl Lauterbach has so far only recommended that people over 60 and those with pre-existing conditions get vaccinated.

READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: Who should get a Covid jab this autumn in Germany?

“The pandemic is over, the virus remains,” he said. “We cannot predict the course of coming waves of corona, but it is clear that older people and people with pre-existing conditions remain at higher risk of becoming severely ill from Covid-19”

The RKI also recommended that people with a cold voluntarily wear a mask. Anyone exhibiting cough, cold, sore throat or other symptoms of a respiratory illness should voluntarily stay at home for three to five days and take regular corona self-tests. 

However, further measures such as contact restrictions are not necessary, he said.

One of many diseases

As of this autumn, Covid-19 could be one of many respiratory diseases. As with influenza, there are no longer absolute infection figures for coronavirus.

Saarbrücken pharmacist Thorsten Lehr told German broadcaster ZDF that self-protection through vaccinations, wearing a mask and getting tested when symptoms appear are prerequisites for surviving the Covid autumn well. 

Only a new, more aggressive mutation could completely turn the game around, he added.

On April 7th of this year, Germany removed the last of its over two-year long coronavirus restrictions, including mask-wearing in some public places.

READ ALSO: German doctors recommend Covid-19 self-tests amid new variant

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