At the start of the summer, the government has warned of a resumption of the epidemic in France and announces the obligation to wear a mask.
Weak signals about the Covid-19 epidemic have increased in recent times, raising fears of a recovery. Already on July 7, the weekly epidemiological bulletin of Public Health France noted a new tendency to increase the circulation of the virus.
The Minister of Health, when asked about France Inter, recalled the importance of remaining vigilant regarding the circulation of the virus: “I have signals of special attention from certain Parisian hospitals. (…) We follow batteries of indicators, what I call weak signals of epidemic recovery. The calls to SOS Doctors, the number of calls to the SAMU, the number of hospital admissions … And we are witnessing in some Parisian hospitals weak signals of epidemic recovery. "
Faced with this, Olivier Véran confirms the announcements made by Emmanuel Macron and Jean Castex on the obligation to wear a mask in public places closed on August 1. There had been evidence from WHO that the virus can persist in the air and therefore be transmitted by air: "The possibility of transmission by air in particularly crowded public places cannot be excluded ", according to Benedetta Allegranzi, doctor and head of the WHO.
The mask will therefore be compulsory in shopping malls, restaurants, shops, etc. Companies will have to manage on a case-by-case basis.
This measure has already been taken in Belgium, for example, which was also facing an upsurge in the epidemic. Faced with a certain relaxation of the population in the face of barrier gestures, their effectiveness should be recalled to avoid reconfiguration at the start of the school year. Regarding this option, the government says it is the worst option.