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Covid-19: the French can finally remove the mask in transport

2022-05-15T16:07:42.574Z


Metro, buses, trains, taxis ... This Monday, the mask falls in public transport in France, as well as in planes and airports in the European Union.


Smiles, grimaces, pouts... The French accustomed to taking the metro or the train will finally be able to rediscover the faces of the travelers next to them.

This Monday, the obligation to wear a mask in public transport ends: it falls in all public transport, such as the metro, bus, train, plane, but also in public transport vehicles. transportation such as taxis.

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No more "

sky, my mask!"

” panicked following an oversight, or an altercation over a mask that was badly worn or outright boycotted: wearing a mask is now only “

recommended

” in these places, in particular for the fragile or elderly public or during "

peak hours

".

It is the end of a measure which was supposed to be temporary to accompany the deconfinement but which will finally have remained in place for more than two years.

Announced last Wednesday by the Minister of Solidarity and Health, Olivier Véran, this development is based on the marked decline in the epidemic in France, for more than a month.

Number of contaminations down sharply, drop in daily admissions to hospital and intensive care, drop in the number of patients treated... All the health indicators are green.

However, “

the mask remains recommended for all people who consider themselves threatened by the virus

”, underlined Olivier Véran, in the process.

It is not the lifting of the mask in transport that will restart the coronavirus epidemic

”, estimates on France Inter the epidemiologist Pascal Crepey.

But the French are urged to be cautious, while the sub-variants of Omicron Ba.4 and Ba.5, at the origin of an epidemic resumption in South Africa, could become dominant in Europe and "

lead to an increase significant overall number of Covid-19 cases in the EU in the coming weeks and months

,” according to the ECDC.

Few health restrictions remain

With the lifting of this restriction, the mask is no longer compulsory anywhere in France, with the exception of health and medico-social establishments, such as hospitals, offices of medical professionals, pharmacies, laboratories or nursing homes: there are is required “

if the health situation requires it

”, specifies the ministry.

Conversely, wearing a mask indoors has no longer been requested in shops, cinemas, theaters or workplaces since mid-March.

Outside either, the mask is no longer compulsory since mid-June 2021, even if "

the mayor or the prefect of the department

" can impose it in certain places, depending on the health situation.

In France, vaccination is still imperative for health professionals and others working with at-risk populations.

This obligation, which has led to the suspension of a few thousand caregivers since mid-September 2021, could however change: at the beginning of May, Emmanuel Macron opened the door to the reinstatement of these professionals, "

when we are no longer in the acute phase of epidemic

”.

This week, Olivier Véran said he wanted to seize the High Authority for Health (HAS) on this thorny issue.

In addition, a person who tests positive for Covid-19 must always isolate themselves “

strictly

”, between five and ten days depending on their vaccination status.

No more masks on planes in Europe

Another change, as of Monday, the mask is also no longer compulsory on planes and airports in the European Union.

A decision taken jointly by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

"

For passengers and air crew, this is a big step forward in the standardization of air transport

," welcomed the Agency's executive director, Patrick Ky, on Wednesday

.

Passengers should, however, behave responsibly and respect the choices of others around them.

And a coughing and sneezing passenger should strongly consider wearing a face mask, to reassure people seated nearby

.”

Be careful though, the obligation or not to wear the mask can change depending on the trip.

"

It is useful to inquire with the company to find out whether or not wearing a mask is required, and in particular on flights to or from a destination where wearing a mask is still compulsory on public transport

", advises the Ministry of Health.

In other words, "

If the State of departure or destination requires the wearing of face masks on public transport, aircraft operators should require passengers and crew to comply with these requirements

", specifies the European protocol.

It is also suggested that crews continue to encourage passengers to wear a mask during the flight and at the airport.

The end of these various rules and the lull on the health front give hope, both for holidaymakers and professionals in the tourism sector, of an almost normal summer.

Some are more cautious: after two years, “

the pandemic is not over

”, recently nuanced Jean-François Delfraissy, president of the Scientific Council.

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Covid-19: is the epidemic coming to an end?

Source: lefigaro

All news articles on 2022-05-15

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