At midday on the Zeil, it was not possible to tell that mouth and nose protection had to be worn there: only around one in three people must wear a mask.

Many do not yet know about the new rules.

They react in astonishment when they are asked about it.

"Oh really?

Do you have to wear a mask here? ”Asks a young man who saw no signs on the way from the main train station to the Zeil.

Inge Schäfer does not initially wear a mask either.

“I didn't notice anything about the mask requirement.

But I haven't been here that long, ”said Schäfer, who is visiting from Baden-Württemberg.

Blue mask pictograms on white posters in downtown Frankfurt indicate the zones in which the mask requirement applies.

However, the posters only hang on the edges of the zones and can easily be overlooked between other signs and posters.

“I am surprised that the mask requirement is not posted anywhere,” says Jutta Einstein, who also did not see the signs.

But little changes for them: "I always wear a mask here because it is too crowded for me."

Mask requirement not only on the Zeil

The new rules have been in effect since Saturday. Since then, people in parts of the city center have had to wear masks. In addition, they are not allowed to drink alcohol there. The mask requirement and the alcohol ban apply from the Große Bockenheimer Straße over the Zeil to the Konstablerwache. The rules also apply on Liebfrauenstrasse via Neue Kräme to Römerberg. The city has tightened its general order to combat the pandemic to curb the increase in infections. Frankfurt has been a corona hotspot since Saturday. The hotspot rules take effect because more than 350 people per 100,000 inhabitants were infected with Corona on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. According to the city, the weekly incidence on Monday was 653.4 and thus well over 350.

According to the Frankfurt regulatory office, it has found that many people are not yet familiar with the new rules. "If you ask ten people which rules apply at the moment, you get eight different answers," said a spokesman for the public order office. The public order office therefore insists on first referring to the rules and not directly intervening hard. At the same time, the public order office is “at the limit” in terms of personnel. For two years there have been a lot of new rules to enforce, but there are no additional staff. Partly one is supported by the state police, the federal police control around the main station.

On Saturday and Sunday we had good experiences with the new rules.

On both days, no violations of the mask requirement or the alcohol ban were punished, but only made aware of them.

The regulatory office also makes it clear that violations of the mask requirement and the alcohol ban constitute an administrative offense.

You can therefore also be punished if people fail to show understanding or repeatedly violate the rules.

If you don't wear a mask in the zones, you face a fine of 100 euros.

The fine for drinking alcohol is 200 euros.

In addition, there are fees of around 29 euros each.