The health ministry in the state known for its beer and good humor said on Thursday that it will require men who hire prostitutes to use condoms to prevent the spread of disease.
Prostitution is legal in Germany and prostitutes usually require that customers wear condoms.
But some offer to perform their services without protection for higher fees. There are about 1,500 registered prostitutes in Bavaria. Bavaria would be the first German state to regulate condom use. They are tested every month for HIV and must be HIV-negative when they start to have intercourse in legal brothels. Not one prostitute has become HIV-positive since 1987, when condoms use became mandatory.