Does the return of the compulsory mask outside reassure all French people? Not really. Faced with the meteoric spread of Covid-19, this obligation divides the population. In Paris and Cannes, residents expressed at the microphone of Europe 1 their astonishment, disapproval or satisfaction following the announcement of this measure.
An obligation “difficult” to understand
“It’s quite annoying because I think it’s absolutely useless when you’re outside, where you don’t meet anyone. It’s a little complicated to understand”, confides a Parisian, wary. Same story on the side of a man, who prefers to play the rebellious: “I will have the mask a little bit below the mouth, at the level of the mustache, to breathe. Then, I will put it back on when I see a gendarme “.
Others put it into perspective: “If I am just asked to put on a mask and we are not confined, it will work. Now we are starting to be a little used to masks”, underlines a Parisian. Another passer-by also sees the positive side of things: “It’s cold. So, in the end, it keeps you warm,” she puts into perspective. “I find that very good. It’s a good way to protect yourself,” added a lady from the neighborhood.
A puzzle in Cannes
In the Alpes-Maritimes, the return of the mask outdoors turns into a headache. In Cannes, if it is not required on the Croisette, it is on the other hand de rigueur in the city center. With a great blue sky and spring temperatures, it was crowded this afternoon in the streets and the crowd was not always masked, despite the obligation. Jacques, retired from Cannes, does not understand that there are “so many people” without a mask.
“I did not know”
Passers-by without a mask assume: “We hear that we cannot contaminate ourselves outside, so we remove the mask”. Some tourists are not even aware of the new rule: “I did not know, but I think it is fashionable to put it where there are concentrations of people”, confides the ‘one of them.
In the show Europe Midi, the emergency doctor Gerald Kierzek pointed out the uselessness of the obligation to wear the mask outdoors. “It does not make sense,” he said at the microphone of Thierry Dagiral.