"The mutants and variants of the coronavirus have been a complete game-changer for three weeks. They appear in multiple ways, have higher transmission factors, and accelerate transmission," said Professor Jean-François Delfraissy in an interview with BFMTV. The government has therefore decided to introduce new protective measures to combat the spread of the virus. On the recommendations of the High Council of Public Health (HCSP), the executive issued a decree on January 21, which bans the wearing of homemade and category 2 masks.
The HCSP now recommends the use of surgical masks and category 1 fabric, which provide better protection for the wearer's surroundings. These masks help prevent droplets that may carry the virus from being spattered.
Wearing an artisanal or category 2 mask: can you be fined?
"All masks whose filtering power is 90% filtering remain valid. Almost all consumer industrial masks have filtering capacities greater than 90% (…) On the other hand, the artisanal mask that we make at home while respecting Afnor (French Association for Standardization) standards, with the best of intentions, do not necessarily offer all the guarantees necessary for the High Council of Public Health ", indicated the Minister of Health, Olivier Véran, on France Inter.
From a legal point of view, three kinds of masks will be authorized: surgical, industrial category 1 and FFP2. But do you risk a fine if you wear another type of mask? For a police officer, it will be difficult to differentiate between category 1 and category 2 masks, because the classification is indicated on the packaging or on the leaflet and not on the mask.
"In any case, there will not be overnight checks on the filtration level of the masks, moreover it is not even written on it. We, what we are asking is that it be the norm from now on for everyone to protect each other and we clearly want to send this message to the French ", told a source from Matignon to our colleagues from Parisian.
Why are FFP2 masks not generalized?
Unlike surgical or industrial masks, FFP2 masks protect the wearer from inhaling droplets and airborne particles. In France, these protections are mainly reserved for healthcare professionals performing invasive procedures such as intubation in the respiratory sphere in patients affected by Covid-19. In Europe, these duckbill-shaped masks are starting to become widespread, especially in Germany and Spain.
Regarding the wearing of FFP2 in France, Olivier Véran indicated that it is not, for the time being, recommended. "What scientists and the High Council for Public Health are telling us is that if two people wear a 90% filter mask, the efficiency is the same as if one person wears an FFP2 mask and the other, a classic mask ", specified the Minister of Health.
FFP2 masks are also more expensive and more difficult to wear than surgical ones. "Theoretically it protects better, but it is still necessary to use it correctly and to support its much stronger adhesion to the face ", said Alexandre Bleibtreu, infectious disease specialist at the Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital, in Paris, to our colleagues of the cross.
Read also :
⋙ Covid-19: Can children still wear cloth masks at school?
⋙ Sheet masks: why the High Council for Public Health advises against their use?
⋙ Covid-19: should two masks be superimposed for better protection?