The fight against the unmasked

Pretty much exactly one month ago, on June 15, the requirement for wearing masks in supermarkets and most other places in Austria was lifted. Only a handful of places still required them including public transport and pharmacies. Sadly, quite a few people must have ignored that condition as more and more people (around 10% according to Graz Linien) started to use public transport in Graz without covering mouth and nose. If staff noticed that, people were just warned but without any penalties.

This is finally going to change now! Starting next Monday, if you’re caught in a tram or bus in Graz not wearing a mask, Graz Linien will fine you EUR 50. As a little add-on, you might at least get a mask with that bill! I’m not sure if the OEBB will also be offering that service but there you’ll pay EUR 40 starting next week.

To be fair, I see far fewer people not wearing masks in trains than in the local busses here in Graz but it was still about time that there were some penalties for just being too lazy.