Wearing a mask will be compulsory throughout Paris and also in the inner suburbs (Seine-Saint-Denis, Hauts-de-Seine and Val-de-Marne) from Friday morning. It is also in Marseille since Wednesday. While masks have become essential in the fight against the Covid-19 epidemic, the question of their free availability is controversial in France. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Jean Castex announced that there would be " no general free use of the mask ", especially in schools, as some members of the opposition demanded.
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The Prime Minister added however that for " any person vulnerable to the virus for medical criteria, his doctor prescribes, if he considers it necessary, to wear a mask, he goes to the pharmacy and this mask is free " . Jean Castex also specified that " 50 million masks were distributed by La Poste to 9 million of our fellow citizens in precarious situations ". Words he reiterated this Thursday at a press conference.
Initiatives throughout France
Except for the most precarious, the general gratuity of the mask, for all, is therefore ruled out by the government. Faced with this decision, several regions (competent for high schools) recently announced that they would provide free masks.
The president of the Île-de-France region, Valérie Pécresse, for example regretted that " the region must replace National Education ": she announced the distribution of two washable fabric masks to each high school student in the Paris region and to each professor. The president of the Hauts-de-France region, Xavier Bertrand, promised him Monday on Twitter that a free reusable fabric mask would be given to each high school student and apprentice " to allow a return to school in the best sanitary conditions ".
"At a time of epidemic we must protect our populations, the State not doing so, the Occitanie region takes all its responsibility and assumes a heavy financial cost which should be borne by the State budget ", lamented the president Carole Delga, on BFMTV, estimating the cost for her region at 550,000 euros per month.
Washable and reusable masks
The departments (in charge of colleges) are also taking action. "Many initiatives are put in place in the departments," confirms Le Figaro Pierre Monzani, director general at the Assembly of departments of France. According to him, 46 departments have already announced the provision of free, washable and reusable masks for college students.
The departments of Hauts-de-Seine and Val-de-Marne, for example, announced on Tuesday that they would provide two washable and reusable masks to all schoolchildren in their territory. In Seine-Saint-Denis, four masks will be distributed to each of the 88,000 schoolchildren, both public and private. In Essonne, five masks will be distributed. In the Marne, six masks will even be given. The mayor of Paris - which is also a department and therefore in charge of the Parisian colleges - announced on Thursday that it would distribute free washable masks to secondary school students. The masks will be distributed directly by the principals.
Other departments have announced their intention to provide masks for free, like the Alpes-Maritimes, Puy-de-Dôme, Saône-et-Loire, Tarn or Seine-Maritime, as reported AFP. Others should follow in the coming days, says the Assembly of French Departments.
" For a department like Charente-Maritime, which has 30,000 secondary school pupils in 61 colleges, this represents 60,000 masks to be distributed ", illustrates Pierre Monzani. An order of 100,000 masks costs about 200,000 euros to a department.
We continue to distribute fabric masks to residents
Philippe Laurent, Mayor of SceauxSome town halls also continue to distribute masks to all their constituents. However, it is difficult to precisely quantify the phenomenon. “In Sceaux, we continue to distribute fabric masks to residents, around a hundred a day,” explains Philippe Laurent, UDI mayor of Sceaux and secretary general of the Association of Mayors of France (AMF).
"If a resident comes to town hall with proof of address, he can leave with two or three masks," he continues. According to the elected official, many town halls have placed large orders at the end of April, at the height of the epidemic, and they still have masks in stock. In Sceaux, the city council ordered 50,000 fabric masks, washable and reusable. As in many municipalities, many were distributed to letter boxes in the midst of a health crisis. In Sceaux, for example, there are still around 20,000 fabric masks in reserve.