Christian Drosten triggered the domino effect in the debate about the mask requirement.
Shortly before the end of the year, Germany's best-known virologist said sentences about the expected end of the pandemic in the course of the winter, with which FDP and Union politicians justified their demand for the rapid lifting of the mask requirement on trains and buses.
The fact that Drosten now feels misunderstood does not change the political dynamics in this dispute.
Because now Corona-Warner Lauterbach has given up his resistance to the falling of the masks.
The fact that the SPD Minister of Health is now announcing the end of the mask requirement in long-distance transport on February 2nd is due to reality, but also to the legal situation.
No legal basis
The winter wave is splashing out, the population is basic immunized, the feared dangerous virus variant (so far) has not materialized, vaccines are available in abundance, and the situation in the clinics is "manageable" even according to Lauterbach.
The legal justification for many corona measures is therefore no longer valid.
SPD-led countries are also lifting the mask requirement in local transport, others have done so before.
It still makes sense to protect yourself and others from corona or flu in certain situations with a mask.
But it is not a state-mandated obligation to do so.