Mandatory in closed public places, the mask can now be in outdoor places, by decision of the prefects, according to the announcements of the Minister of Health Olivier Véran. A decision on which Bastien Lachaud, deputy La France Insoumise returned. For this elected representative of Seine-Saint-Denis, there can be no compulsory mask without its free admission.
Read also: Free masks: who can get them?
" To impose the compulsory mask, it would be necessary to ensure equal access to all, pleaded the elected representative , There are people who have seen their income drastically drop due to the Covid-19 crisis. The social crisis is before us and therefore today, there are people who cannot afford to buy masks ”.
La France Insoumise deputies have long been demanding that the mask be made free. On April 28, they tabled a bill to this effect, arguing that “ free masks protect everyone: the less contamination there is, the faster the epidemic is contained. If the cost of the mask prevents certain populations from protecting themselves, the epidemic will continue to spread in society ”.
The President of the Republic retorted that the State was " not intended " to pay for masks for all citizens. On the other hand, provisions were announced, through the voice of Olivier Véran, so that the most disadvantaged can obtain free masks. Are concerned the citizens at the level of the poverty line and beneficiaries of complementary health solidarity. This is also the case, since confinement, for people who benefit from State Medical Aid (AME).
Substantial budget for families
The price of masks will also remain restricted until 2021: thus, a surgical mask cannot be marketed at more than 95 cents per unit for those sold at retail, and at 80 cents if it is sold wholesale. This sum, which may seem modest, represents a significant expense item for a family: according to Figaro calculations , the “mask budget” can reach 300 euros per month for a household made up of four people who do not uses only surgical masks. The “mask budget” of families who prefer reusable masks is significantly less, and represents a budget of 60 to 80 euros per month.
To read also: The “mask budget” can reach 300 euros per month for a family of 4 people
Considering this cost " quite colossal ", the president of the association for the defense of consumers UFC-Que Choisir Alain Bazot had also called for making the masks free. Since the start of the coronavirus epidemic, the mask market has exploded, especially in supermarkets. According to the consumer data analysis firm Nielsen, the turnover of supermarkets on the sale of masks reached 10 million euros in the week of July 6 to 12 alone.
