Berlin protesters must wear masks to curb virus

Authorities in Berlin say protesters must wear face masks to curb the spread of the coronavirus after a demonstration where thousands ignored social distancing rules last weekend.

German news agency dpa reported Berlin state's executive agreed to make masks mandatory for protests with more than 100 participants. There will be exceptions for car and bicycle rallies.

Until now, masks weren't required at open air events unless the minimum distance of 1.5 meters between participants couldn't be maintained.

Police ordered a large protest dissolved on Saturday because participants didn't respect the rules. The demonstration was against mask wearing and other pandemic protection measures.

Participants have mostly wore masks at other protests in Berlin, including a large Black Lives Matter demonstration in June and a rally by Hong Kong pro-democracy campaigners on Tuesday.