A year ago, the wearing of a mask was generalized in public spaces in France.
Now, the authorities hope to be able to abandon it within a few months.
Professor Alain Fischer confirmed this Thursday in our columns: he hopes to be able to remove the masks "by the end of the summer", with the advance of vaccination for all.
Abroad, some countries, such as Israel, the United States or Australia, have already started to gradually lift the mask against Covid-19, while Sweden, for its part, has chosen never to 'impose.
Decisions that depend on the evolution of cases at the local level, or the progress of the vaccination of the public.
In the United States, the vaccinated allowed to let go of the mask
It has been official since the end of April: in the United States, fully vaccinated people no longer have to wear the mask outdoors, according to the recommendations of the Centers for the Prevention and Control of Diseases ( CDC). “If you are fully vaccinated and want to participate in a small gathering with people who are vaccinated and unvaccinated, or have dinner at an outdoor restaurant […] science shows you can do it safely, without a mask. », Detailed Rochelle Wolensky, director of the public health agency.
# COVID19 vaccines play a key role in ending the pandemic and helping us get back to normalcy.
Millions of people in the US who are fully vaccinated can safely enjoy time together indoors without wearing masks.
Learn more: https://t.co/FJMon7WlFO.
pic.twitter.com/okW9MuFUhP
- CDC (@CDCgov) April 27, 2021
Several exceptions remain: masks are still recommended in "busy outdoor places", such as full stadiums or concerts, in order to avoid the risk of contamination in people at risk and not vaccinated. If the United States allows itself this lifting of restrictions, it is because their vaccination campaign is ahead of other countries. Recently, President Joe Biden congratulated himself on reaching 200 million injections in 100 days in office. At this point, 41.9% of the US adult population is vaccinated against Covid-19.
As for the epidemic, the country still records an average of around 50,000 new daily cases, which has been falling since mid-April.
About 700 new daily deaths are recorded, a figure also on the decline after a peak of more than 3,000 daily deaths at the start of the year.
In Israel, the mask abandoned thanks to a majority of vaccinated
For three weeks, Israelis have rediscovered each other's faces, reports Reuters.
With vaccination coverage approaching 60%, according to Our World in Data, Israel was able to lift the obligation to wear a mask in mid-April.
"We are pioneers in the world with regard to the way out of the coronavirus crisis", enthused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"But we are not done with the virus," he stressed, however.
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Wearing a mask remains mandatory in enclosed public spaces, and Israelis are encouraged to keep a mask on hand if necessary.
At school, teachers should always maintain rules of distance between students, and should ventilate classrooms as much as possible.
The country is also keeping its borders closed to foreign travelers, in order to limit the arrival of variants as much as possible.
Since the end of April, Israel has recorded less than 100 new cases and less than ten new daily deaths on average.
In Australia, no masks if there is no case
In the large country of Oceania, wearing a mask is "generally not recommended" when the transmission of Covid-19 is low, according to the local Ministry of Health.
And for good reason: in Australia, since autumn 2020, the average of new daily cases has been counted in dozens, or even less.
The country has not recorded any new deaths linked to Covid-19 since this period.
Propagation contained thanks to drastic border controls as well as local confinements with each new alert.
In Sydney, masks became mandatory for a weekend again, after the detection of two positive cases for the new coronavirus in the region.
REUTERS / Loren Elliott LOREN ELLIOTT
Still at the local level, the authorities can also impose the wearing of a mask in the event of resumption of contamination.
After the appearance of two cases of the Indian variant of the coronavirus in the region of New South Wales (including Sydney), masks are again mandatory in public transport and enclosed public spaces since Thursday, and will be until until next Monday.
The objective: to limit possible contamination during the weekend.
The measure concerns a total of 5.3 million inhabitants.
In Sweden, the mask is rarely compulsory
Contrary to other European countries, Sweden has not imposed strict, national containment - even though, last spring, a good part of Swedes applied the rules of containment and social distancing themselves. For a long time, the country's authorities have also chosen not to impose the wearing of masks outdoors. For Anders Tegnell, chief epidemiologist of Sweden, "social distancing, the fact that people do not band together, that they stay at home when they are sick, are much more effective measures" than covering their mouths. and the nose.
But last December, faced with a sudden surge in contamination, Prime Minister Stefan Lofven recommended wearing a mask in transport during rush hour.
A measure that seems to have been little respected: in Stockholm, the transport company Nobina estimated that half of the passengers do not wear their masks at the required times, according to a local channel.
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To date, in its guide, the Swedish public health agency still does not include the wearing of a mask to limit contamination, but campaigns for respect for social distancing. The country is not yet out of the woods epidemic. Even though it only registers a few dozen new deaths each day, Sweden has around 5,000 new cases every day in recent weeks. It has also just passed the milestone of one million cases, becoming the second country with the most new contaminations in Europe, in proportion to its number of inhabitants.