Questions relating to masks against the coronavirus - availability, compulsory wearing, free of charge ... - are among the points on which the government has been criticized, even attacked, since the epidemic appeared in France. And Sunday evening, Christophe Castaner took on the task of sketching a mea culpa.
"We have certainly not been clear enough on this subject," acknowledged the Minister of the Interior during the Le Grand Jury program (RTL / LCI / Le Figaro). “There is a global shortage of masks. All the countries of the world have been confronted with this […] this is no longer the case for France today ”, he explained. "What we say is what professionals and scientific advice from the health sector say," he said.
"At the beginning," continued Christophe Castaner, "I heard the World Health Organization, the Academy of Medicine, all the health professionals, explain to us that the wearing of the mask in a systematic way was not necessary" .
“Then there were developments. The Academy of Medicine, a few weeks ago, gave a position which is different from that which was worn at the start of the management of the fight against the Covid and therefore we are adapting, "added the minister.
"France had a stock of 20 weeks"
"France had a stock of masks for its usual use for 20 weeks, but given the global crisis we have known, this stock of masks did not appear sufficient," said the Minister of the Interior.
He then explained that "France and the government have made a choice: that of giving priority to health personnel, those who save lives". "We had 1.4 million FFP2 masks, I made the choice to give them to health professionals because it was the priority," he continued.
The same day, his predecessor at Place Beauvau, Gérard Collomb, sounded the charge in the Journal du Dimanche. “The government has been caught off guard. There were back and forth which afterwards hurt a lot, ”said the mayor of Lyon. Critic also, the president of the Association of the mayors of France (AMF), François Baroin (LR), claims "a stable framework" which "allows to take" a decision.
Political Newsletter
Every day, political news seen by Le ParisienI'm registering
Your email address is collected by Le Parisien to allow you to receive our news and commercial offers. Find out more
Previously, Jean-Luc Mélenchon had denounced to the National Assembly "orders and contrords (which) have followed one another", in particular on the wearing of the mask, and the LFI deputies have tabled a bill introducing free legislation. As for Bruno Retailleau, leader of the LR senators, he castigated in early April the "chaotic communication" on the use of masks, "a case that will remain as the symbol of mismanagement" of the crisis in France according to him .
