Paris authorities have ordered that face masks be worn in all public places in the city from Friday, as cases of coronavirus continue to climb in the French capital.
Top officials from three surrounding regions have also signed up for the orders, meaning people in a large swath of nearby areas will also have to be masked in public.
Cyclists and those exercising outside will be exempt from the rule, police said, as will children under the age of 11.
The virus is actively circulating in about 20 percent of France’s regions and masks will now be mandatory for everyone in Paris on Friday – but the government has decided to reopen schools next week, get workers back on track and the Tour de France cycling to start race on Saturday.
Showing a map of the country’s new ‘red zones’, French Prime Minister Jean Castex on Thursday urged local authorities to impose new restrictions to slow down infections and prevent another economically devastating national closure.
“The epidemic is gaining ground, and now we need to intervene,” Castex said. France “must do everything possible to prevent a new lockdown.”
He acknowledged that the emerging cases this summer – mostly attributed to people going on holiday with family and friends – came sooner than authorities expected.
France now sees more than 50 positive tests per 100,000 people in Paris, Marseille and other areas. The government announced Thursday that 21 of 101 administrative regions, or departments, are now in the “red zone” where the virus is actively circulating, and where local authorities can impose stricter rules on meetings and movements.
The number of virus patients in French hospitals has so far remained low despite the jump in infections, but it has been steadily increasing in recent days.
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The government’s message Thursday was mixed – while Castex sounded the alarm about growing cases, insisting that “living with the virus” is the new national mantra and he wants people to resume work as widely as possible in September.
To protect vulnerable populations, the prime minister urged people not to hold family celebrations and said “grandparents” should not pick up their grandparents from school.
Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer said there was no reason to back down plans to send France’s 12.9 million students back to class next week or to reopen cafeterias.
“All children need to go back to school,” he said.
Blanquer also said that continuing the Tour de France cycling race is “a sign that we can stay alive, and the resilience of our society.”
Already delayed from the traditional start of July, the first event for cyclists will start on Saturday from Nice and will span the country for more than three weeks. Fans, tourists and locals alike massage along the route for a beloved event that is a prime advertisement for the beauty and traditions of France, organizers are urging all spectators this year to wear masks.
