Deutsche Bahn announces hundreds of 3G controls

Passengers on long-distance and regional trains as well as on buses and trams must be vaccinated, recovered or tested from this Wednesday on in the fight against the corona virus. Deutsche Bahn announced corresponding controls of the so-called 3G rule. These are to be carried out randomly by the security and control staff, the group announced. "In long-distance traffic alone, controls on 400 connections are planned in the first few days after the new rules come into force," it said. Should passengers have to be excluded from the journey because they did not follow the so-called 3G rule, the employees could ask the federal police for assistance. The railway is thus implementing the Federal Government's resolutions in the new Infection Protection Act from last week. The changes have been in the Federal Law Gazette since Tuesday and are valid from Wednesday. This is intended to regulate contacts more closely in view of the rapidly increasing number of corona infections. The rail unions EVG and GDL had criticized the new rules in rail traffic. They fear an additional burden on the train attendants. "The employees of the railway are not deputy sheriffs, that has to be a matter for the federal police," said the deputy chairman of the railway and transport union (EVG), Martin Burkert, last week. GDL boss Claus Weselsky agreed with him: "The train staff cannot take control of the 3G regulations. Whoever demands that has no idea about the railways," he told the newspaper "Die Welt".