Coronavirus: the mask will be mandatory in all public areas in Paris and the inner suburbs from tomorrow at 8 am
Wearing a mask will be mandatory everywhere, as soon as you are outside, in Paris and the inner suburbs (Seine-Saint-Denis, Hauts-de-Seine, and Val-de-Marne) from Friday, August 28, at 8 am, the authorities announced.
The measure, announced Thursday by the authorities, was initially intended to cover pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, joggers, and scooter riders. Still, the Paris Police Prefecture finally decided Friday that cyclists and joggers were not subject to this obligation: “The wearing of masks will not be required” for people “exercising a physical activity as part of running or cycling,” was also announced by the statement.
Thus, the prefecture acceded to the City of Paris’s request, which wanted an exemption in this regard. “We are opposed to the wearing of masks on bicycles because there is no scientific evidence that it is dangerous and it is above all very counterproductive,” said Emmanuel Grégoire, first deputy (Socialist Party) to the mayor of Paris, on Franceinfo on Friday morning. “People are told: “Take the bike to try to decongest public transportation,” and, at the same time, they are asked to wear a particularly uncomfortable mask, he had argued. We are asking people to reconsider this decision and to think about the issue of jogging because anyone who has jogged in their life knows that it is impossible to do so with a mask. »
The widespread use of masks, already in force in Toulouse and Marseille, could spread to other major cities in the country, where 6,111 new cases were detected Thursday in twenty-four hours. A total of twenty-one departments are now placed in the red zone, including the Alpes-Maritimes, where the first two stages of the Tour de France are scheduled to take place – the cycling competition begins Saturday. Therefore, the start in Nice will be held in “almost closed,” according to a decision by the authorities, and the mask will be mandatory along the route.
