Between those who count the number of masked people around them, those who do not like having to wear it to go shopping or those who doubt its interest ... The mask has become a recurring topic of discussion since it became compulsory in most public spaces.
While several French regions are experiencing a rebound in the epidemic, many French people, fierce defenders of the mask, are alarmed at the relaxation of some in public spaces. Whether they are formerly ill or simply worried, four of them tell their anger to the Parisian.
"I am aware of what we can undergo", Anne-Laure, 37 years old
Deconfinement has not changed much for Anne-Laure. La Marseillaise contracted the Covid-19 at the end of March. Four months later, like other patients with long symptoms, she is struggling to recover. “The Covid has triggered a big inflammatory reaction in the body, I have blood vessels and nerves affected. The doctor who follows me is trying to find out if an autoimmune disease did not develop after my infection, ”she testifies.
Venous insufficiency, sensitive skin, appearing bruises, bluish nails, swelling veins… The symptoms, painful, are tiring for this singer, who is however used to paying attention to her hygiene. “As I sing, I can't afford to be sick. I was surprised when I saw that I was contaminated, ”says Anne-Laure.
So when she sees people without a mask, she sees red. “I don't go out a lot, only for shopping or meetings. I once tried to go out to see the fireworks. We counted the number of people with a mask. There were perhaps five of the hundred present. They stayed close, kissed each other, ”she said,“ annoyed ”.
“These people, I want to approach them. They feel invincible because they are not affected, but we must remember that the virus has still affected a lot of young people, ”continues Anne-Laure. "Having the disease, it reinforced my feeling about these barrier gestures, because I am aware of what we can suffer, that I do not want to infect other people, and that I do not have want to catch the disease again, ”she says.
"It would have to affect everyone to push people to finally act", Hugo, 21 years old
Hugo built up a stock from the first days of deconfinement. And he still remains faithful to it. “As a general rule, I wear it every day, in every place I go, whether it is a business or otherwise,” assures the 21-year-old young man who lives in Lorraine. "I put it on myself, even if the storefront of a place does not have a sign Wearing the mandatory mask ," he adds.
Why so much vigilance? In principle, first of all, defends the Lorrain. "It's important for yourself first, and also for the respect of others," he says. While many young people are singled out for their attitude deemed nonchalant in the face of the epidemic, Hugo is keen to take it seriously. "If there are people in the street, yes, I do not hesitate to put it", confides this former asthmatic, who also says to be "afraid of catching the disease".
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Out of the question for him to question the importance of the mask. "I feel, like everyone else, that it is not easy to hold on with the breathing under a mask, but it is the only way to avoid any propagation", rationalizes Hugo. “I think people are not sufficiently aware of the mortality of this virus. It would have to touch everyone to push them to finally act, so that they say to themselves I have to wear the mask, I do not want it to happen to me worse ", judges this trader.
"This effort is nothing compared to the consequences of the disease", Sandra, 51 years old
Sandra was infected with the coronavirus in March. “I stayed at home until the end of April. My first outing, I did it on the 25th, and I was wearing a mask. Since then, I have not gone to any business without it, ”she confides. In addition to the mask, she strictly applies barrier gestures: disinfectant in the pocket, checking the spaces in the restaurant… For Sandra, who is still ill - “I can walk, but I still lack air. I am in rehabilitative physiotherapy and followed by an osteopath ”, she specifies, the risk is everywhere.
A rigor that comes from the disease, but also from her environment: she lives in the Grand Est, one of the regions hardest hit by the epidemic. “Here, we experienced it like a tsunami, it was surreal. When you are confined to your home and you live with the sound of helicopters, it makes you think, ”she says. “Relatives, direct or indirect people died or fell very sick, bordering on hospitalization. I saw what it gives, on others and on me, ”she says.
Like other former patients, she is annoyed to see questioning of the mask, or relaxation. “It's not complicated to put on a mask. This effort is nothing compared to the consequences of the disease ", relativizes Sandra, who castigates those who believe in" stories of conspiracies "and" false information "on the famous protection.
"The day it will be too late, I will not cry for them", Jennifer, 40
In Jennifer's house, hygiene rules were already strict before the epidemic. With the coronavirus, they are even more so. “With our three children, we are still a little in confinement. We did not go on vacation, but we still fitted out the garden with a swimming pool and a trampoline, because they should not be punished ”, confides the mother, who puts on the mask on each of her rare outings - those to get what is strictly necessary or see doctors.
When classes resumed in June, Jennifer also chose not to send her children back to school. “I have two in elementary school in a set that goes from elementary to high school, and there was one case in middle school. But we were told everything was fine. It is not coherent, ”she criticizes.
In her region, Jennifer sees many tourists without masks. “I live near the Gave de Pau (in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Editor's note), we see tourists every day, who do not wear masks. It makes me dread going back to school. People have gone everywhere on vacation and are going to bring it back to schools, ”worries the mother, who keeps in mind many traumatic images of the consequences of the disease.
"We see young amputees, a three-year-old baby died in Belgium," she lists. Images strong enough to measure the severity of the disease, she said. “Those who do not wear the mask, they have not understood what is really going on. It is a paradox, because we talk about it enough. The day it will be too late, I will not cry for them, ”she loses her temper.