The Minister of Health, Olivier Véran, tried on Saturday to defuse the controversy over the announcements of the large distribution concerning the sale from Monday of millions of protective masks which led health professionals to denounce the existence of " hidden stocks ".
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" Large retailers have announced not mask stocks, but orders for masks, " he said during a press briefing at the Élysée. " Large retailers tell me that today they have the equivalent of 5 or even 10 million masks (editor's note, in stock) ", he continued, adding for comparison that 45 million masks were consumed every week in France for hospitals and city doctors. " So we are very, very far from the 500 million which we understood to understand that the big retailers said they had, " he added.
" The masks are falling ", denounce the presidents of the professional orders of health
In a press release, the Federation of Commerce and Distribution (FCD) denied the existence of " hidden stocks ". “ The figures announced by the brands relate to orders placed, which will only be delivered very gradually, with faster availability of disposable masks than reusable fabric masks. "
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The Minister of Health added that he understood " the emotion of the world of health " but wanted to reassure them by recalling that if France were to run out of masks intended for caregivers and sick or vulnerable people, the executive would resort to requisition. " I understand the controversy, I also hope to put an end to it, " he said.
In an open letter published Thursday under the title " The masks fall ", the presidents of the professional orders of health were astonished by the capacity of the actors of the large distribution to announce the sale of " staggering figures " of masks protection as of Monday, when they were so lacking until then. “ Every war has its profiteers. It is unfortunately an intangible law of our conflicts. How can we explain that our caregivers could not have been equipped with masks when we announced with great reinforcement of rowdy communication of the staggering figures of masks sold to the public by certain distribution channels, ”they wrote. How to " understand that what did not exist yesterday is abundant today ", added the presidents of the national councils of doctors, pharmacists, midwives, nurses, dentists, masseurs - physiotherapists and podiatrist-pedicures.
The president of the Association of the regions of France requests proofs
In Marseille, Renaud Muselier, the president of the PACA region, also president of the Association of the regions of France, relayed their incomprehension Saturday by giving three days to the signs of the large distribution to prove that they did not constitute secret stocks of protective masks and threatens to file a complaint if this were the case.
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“ I asked for the full justification of the purchase of these masks, date of order and especially date of delivery in support. I give the supermarket three days to prove that it did not have secret stocks of masks during the crisis! ", He wrote in a press release." If it were proven that these orders and these deliveries are very prior to the sale on Monday, in the establishments of these brands, that would mean a very clear thing: while our country undergoing an unprecedented global pandemic, these companies stocked basic products and did not put them on the market for commercial and communications purposes. "
Renaud Muselier said he was ready under these conditions to file a complaint for " endangering the life of others " and " failure to assist a person in danger ".