Mask or no mask? For the moment, the French still have the luxury of asking themselves the question when they take public transport or find themselves in particularly busy places, such as shopping centres. If the obligation to wear a mask was lifted in the spring, politicians and doctors have been asking us to put it back on our noses for several weeks, in order to slow down the rebound of the Covid-19 epidemic.
According to the latest figures published by Public Health France, 75,752 new cases were recorded on Wednesday December 7 and the average incidence rate in France is now 573 per 100,000 inhabitants. Indicators are also on the rise for hospitals: while emergency room visits are down 10% over the past seven days, hospitalizations are up 16% and critical care admissions have increased by 7% on the 2nd. december. There were also 405 deaths at the start of the month over the previous seven days.
Bad news as the Christmas holidays approach, during which the French will meet up with their families and potentially meet fragile people around them. To protect the weakest and avoid saturation of hospitals, the president of Covars Brigitte Autran, as well as the Minister of Health François Braun, asked French people eligible for the second booster dose to be vaccinated. Those who are not a priority but who wish to have it can of course access it, from certain doctors or pharmacists.
Recognizing the failure of the current vaccination campaign, the Minister of Health François Braun explained on BFMTV on Sunday December 4 that it was important to put the mask back on, which he advises “very strongly”. Saying he was not in favor of “coercion”, he added that he would not hesitate to tighten the screw if the situation required it, in the event of “hospital saturation” or “evolution of the flu epidemic. “. “I am monitoring the day-to-day situation and decisions will follow the evolution of the situation,” he concluded.
While the Covid-19 and wearing a mask were no longer the government’s favorite subjects, between power cuts and pension reform, they seem to be back on everyone’s lips, since Olivier Véran has just make new announcements.
Will the government again impose restrictions on the French? Invited on BFMTV this Wednesday, December 7, spokesperson Olivier Véran – former Minister of Health – said: “We could make it compulsory to wear a mask, but at the same time, we would come here to endorse something that the French have acquired. as a skill, as a know-how”. “The French know that when you are in a place at risk, you wear a mask to protect yourself,” he added.
Taking up François Braun’s statement last Sunday, Olivier Véran clarified that “we know how to decide in government”: “The hand does not shake when decisions have to be made, even difficult ones, to protect the population”. Will the “principle of responsibility” be sufficient in the face of this ninth wave? The Minister of Health is due to speak on Friday, December 9.
Health Minister François Braun will speak on Friday December 9 at a press conference on Friday December 9. According to Olivier Véran, this meeting will be an opportunity to “give elements of explanation, bring back information, pedagogy”, which the government spokesperson considers “necessary at a time when people are ‘question’. Will François Braun launch a new solemn appeal to the French? Will he announce the return of the bond?
According to information from Le Parisien, “twelve patient associations are urging the government to impose the mask in transport, pharmacies and crowded stores during these end-of-year celebrations”. Will the executive give in to the pressure? Answer in less than two days.
