GERMANS caught without a facemask could now face a bank-breaking €10,000 fine under strict new laws to fight coronavirus.

The new Maskenpflicht (mask duty) rule came into force Monday morning, forcing everyone in Germany to wear face masks on public transport, trains and while they shop as the country begins to ease restrictions.

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The law now applies in all but one of Germany’s 16 states and will be total once the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein catches up and implements it on Wednesday.

The sometimes harsh penalty for not wearing a mask varies across the country.

In Berlin and Brandenburg offenders will just get told off and are expected to show mutual respect, however the law says that fines can jump as high as €10,000.

The average fine is expected to be around €25, but this will go up depending on how much danger is posed.

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Businesses like shops whose staff are caught not wearing masks will pay a far higher price, as will repeat offenders.

Many states said they would allow a few days for people to get used to the new rule and get their hands on some masks.

The masks do not have to be medical or high grade and can be as simple as a covering, as with similar measures introduced last week by the UK government.

Germany has had 158,389 cases and 6,050 deaths, which is an excellent ratio compared with most other European countries.

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