Berlin Ad Gets Explicit With Its COVID Mask Reminder

Berliners and tourists to the city are getting an explicit reminder about the COVID-related rules that must be followed there. The Local reports Berlin's Senate Department for Economics, in partnership with Visit Berlin, on Tuesday released a new poster (see it here) that shows a masked senior citizen flipping the bird. It reads: "The raised index finger for all those without a mask" and "We obey the corona rules." As for the fact that the middle finger and index finger aren't the same thing, Visit Berlin tells the BBC it was an intentional contradiction, and the Guardian has a slightly different translation: "A finger wag for all those without a mask: we stick to corona rules."

A rep for Visit Berlin says that general adherence to the rules are good, but there are still some who aren't following them, which puts the elderly population at risk. "We wanted to give attention to this problem," he tells the BBC. "For this reason we have chosen this provocative motif." But some say it hits the wrong note, with one politician stating, "The situation is too serious for stupid jokes," per the Guardian. On the flip side is Tagesspiegel's take, with the newspaper calling it effective if nothing else: "In spite of everything, it’s easier to understand than the nth extension of the umpteenth edict." (More coronavirus stories.)