Was it very reasonable to end the compulsory wearing of the mask indoors (except in transport and hospitals) in the midst of an epidemic rebound?
Yes, insists the government, which however recommends that the elderly and fragile continue to protect themselves.
No, retort many epidemiologists, according to whom this relief risks amplifying contamination.
Austria
,
where the number of daily cases had never been so high, is also preparing to put back in place the compulsory mask in many closed places… two weeks after ending it.
The lifting of restrictions on March 5 there "was too extensive and too early", estimated the Minister of Health, Johannes Rauch, on Friday March 18.
The forecasts were a little too optimistic: the curve of cases has skyrocketed in the past two weeks (45,000 a day now), the number of hospitalized patients has increased sharply, and “this tense situation will last longer than expected”, indicates the Ministry of Health.
Read alsoCovid-19: facing Omicron, should we opt for FFP2 masks?
It is therefore to “relieve hospital staff” that the Austrian government has decided to reimpose the mask indoors, from this Wednesday, March 23.
When we talk about a “mask” in Austria, it is necessarily an FFP2 (rather little used in France but more protective than a surgical model).
Having the face protected remained compulsory in public transport and hospitals after March 5, but it had simply become “recommended” in other closed places (shops, schools, etc.).
“This recommendation was on the whole well respected, but it was quite predictable to see the obligation return in view of the figures”, testifies Juliette, 31, who works in an NGO based in Vienna.
FFP2 still mandatory in Italy
Taking a look at what our neighbors are doing can be all the more interesting as all of Western Europe is facing an epidemic rebound carried by the BA.2 variant.
Some of them have decided to keep wearing a mask compulsory at work and in closed places.
In
Italy
, the decision was made on Thursday March 17: it will be until April 30.
In cinemas, theatres, concert halls, and on public transport, it is imperative to wear an FFP2 mask (a simple surgical mask is not enough).
Prime Minister Mario Draghi thanked "all Italians for their altruism and patience" for two years.
Having your face protected is also required in interior spaces open to the public (shops, museums, etc.) in
Spain
,
Greece
,
Bulgaria
,
Portugal
or
Poland
, indicate the French embassies or governments on their respective sites. .
Generally, children under the age of 6 are exempt.
The situation is more confused in
Germany
, a decentralized country where the regions have significant powers.
A new law, adopted Friday, March 18 despite the challenge of part of the opposition, put an end to the main restrictions this Sunday.
This includes, in particular, the mask in shops and at school.
But in fact, several regions intend to maintain all or part of them (including the mask) for another two weeks minimum, reports the Süddeutsche Zeitung.
France far from being an isolated case
Still, France is far from being the only European country to have dropped the mandatory mask almost everywhere.
In this category,
England
is a pioneer.
The British nation (Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales have their own calendar) ended the mask as of January 27.
“As the Covid becomes endemic, we must replace legal obligations with advice and recommendations”, estimated at the time Boris Johnson, the British Prime Minister.
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As in France, the mask is no longer compulsory in closed places - except in transport and health establishments - in
Belgium
(since March 7) and in
Switzerland
(since February 17).
In
the Netherlands
, it remains so only in transport (planes, trains, buses, trams, metros, etc.) as well as at the airport.
In
Hungary
, only health establishments are still concerned.