"The D system". Stéphane, a teacher in the far east, could not find a better way to get this Sunday essential masks for his “pre-entry”. Before welcoming his first students on Thursday, this school teacher managed on his own to obtain them. "It's a bit pathetic but my mother sewed it on me, I managed to buy two disposable ones at the pharmacy and my municipality provided me with a washable one" enumerates the instit which "cross my fingers to find others this Monday morning in his class. "
"The Minister of Education has promised us that each teacher will be provided, but we will need at least two daily if we are at school in front of our students." On the first day of deconfinement, a reality is imposed everywhere in France: everyone is looking for their mask.
2 million distributed in 400 Ile-de-France stations
More than 18 million have already been distributed in Ile-de-France to hospitals, nursing homes, nursing staff, patients, town halls, departments and humanitarian associations since the beginning of the coronavirus crisis, said Sunday the president of the region Valérie Pécresse.
In addition to a certificate from your employer if you use public transport during rush hour, wearing a mask will be compulsory and liable to a fine of 135 euros if you do not have one. This Monday, more than two million additional masks will be distributed in 400 Ile-de-France stations.
The state will for its part sign "in the coming days" a contract with four French companies embarking on the production of disposable masks in order to reduce dependence on China. At the end of May, the government said that it would be able to manufacture 20 million surgical masks and FFP2 each week. Objective by October: 50 million weekly.
If you still haven't been able to get them, the cabinet of Agnès Pannier-Runacher, Secretary of State to the Minister of the Economy and Finance, recalls all the places where you can buy masks for the general public in reusable fabric and single use surgical type models. "The purchase of masks is particularly possible from pharmacies, tobacconists, signs of the large food distribution, service stations, newsagents" explains the cabinet of the minister.
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For single-use "surgical" masks, the maximum selling price to consumers is set at 95 cents per unit (or 47.50 euros per box of 50 masks). For "general public" masks, the recommended price is 20 to 30 euro cents for use.
"Free masks, a matter of public health"
Faced with soaring prices practiced by certain sellers, fraud enforcement officers will carry out checks. But on the twitter social network, the hashtag #Masquesgratuits has already flourished in recent days. Many denounce the exorbitant prices charged by certain sellers and the quality of the products offered.
“I just bought some in a large area, explains this Marseillaise, video to support. I paid 31.50 euros for a box of fifty masks but as you can see it is cigarette paper, you can see through it, it looks like nothing and I have doubts that it protects anything thing. I think it's obvious theft ”.
Jean, originally from Clermont-Ferrand, is not fooling either. "The government refuses to make the masks free even though they plan to pay a 135-euro fine if they are not worn on transport," he fumed. And yet they said that the masks were useless ”. Mathilde also calls for no one to "make a profit" on these essential protections: "Free masks are a matter of public health and social justice".
