In an attempt to convince Berliners to wear their masks properly while on public transport, the BVB, the company that runs the city’s U-Bahn, trams, and buses has a new approach according to a report from Deutsche Welle: encouraging riders to forgo deodorant. In a tweet sent earlier this week that for all intents and purposes resembles any other official policy advisory by the BVB, the company bluntly said “you leave us no choice” but to forbid deodorant.
The logic goes like this. In order to stymie the spread of covid-19 but ease lockdown restrictions, Berlin (and the rest of Germany) has instituted a mandatory mask policy in public spaces, including on public transport just like most other cities around the world. While compliance has been high, and fines for neglecting to mask up are even higher, many aren’t wearing their masks properly, covering only their mouths while leaving their noses exposed. That’s a big problem.
Probably bigger than you think. Hopefully, New Yorkers and straphangers in other cities will be able to internalize the importance of properly masking up before a deodorant ban is necessary to keep them in line. Though I do believe the normal rancid smell of the subway might do the trick on its own.
Link:Jalopnik