"Why is it not mandatory to wear a mask in stores?"

Every day, Le Parisien mobilizes to answer your questions around the coronavirus. Today we are interested in the questioning of Bamoris, who asks us why the wearing of the mask is not compulsory in shops.

As of May 11, wearing a mask is mandatory in transport, under penalty of paying a fine of 135 euros, but not in shops and medium-sized stores which can also reopen (stores over 40,000 m² must most often remain closed).

But beware: a store owner has the right to refuse access to customers who do not wear a mask. “Wearing a mask for the general public will be recommended for staff and customers when physical distance measures cannot be guaranteed. A merchant can make access to his store conditional on wearing a mask, "said Prime Minister Edouard Philippe on April 28 at the National Assembly.

Mandatory mask at Decathlon

In stores that make this choice, this effectively amounts to an obligation. At Decathlon for example, "wearing a mask will be compulsory for our teams, but also for customers". "At first, you will be asked to come with your own mask, but we should offer it very quickly for sale, at a very low price," says the brand on Twitter.

Wearing a mask will be compulsory for our teams, but also for customers.

At first, you will be asked to come with your own mask, but we should offer it very quickly for sale, at a very low price. 2/6

Beyond wearing a mask, stores must also enforce social distancing, for example by putting markings on the ground. It is also recommended to manage the entry flows (even if it means waiting a lot of customers outside), in order to "respect the maximum gauge of a person per 4 m2", we read in the "wrestling kit against the Covid-19 "intended for employees of food businesses and distributed by the Ministry of Labor.

"It is only when all of these precautions are not sufficient to guarantee the protection of human health and safety that they must be supplemented by individual protection measures, such as wearing a mask", is it stated in the document.

The ministry also recommends, in particular, “to carry out the installation (in the showcases, in the shelves, etc.) outside the opening hours to customers, even if it means reducing the opening hours, taking care however not to increase the concentration of customers in the store. "

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