Masks to be mandatory in Paris from Friday morning 8 am

Face masks will be mandatory everywhere in Paris from Friday morning 8 am, French BFM TV reported, quoting Paris deputy mayor Anne Souyris.

News channel LCI also reported that face masks would be obligatory everywhere in Paris from Friday at 8 am, according to a prefectural decree.

Masks will also become part of normal life for French schoolchildren aged 11 and over. The World Health Organization has recommended use of masks in school from the age of 12. Masks are already required in most enclosed public spaces and will be mandatory in workplaces from next month.

Prime Minister Jean Castex said earlier on Thursday that the government was set to order the mandatory wearing of face masks across Paris to curb surging coronavirus infections but he had not indicated when the measure would take effect.

France has recorded its highest number of new daily infections since the end of the lockdown in early May, with an additional 6,111 registered over the past 24 hours.

A further 48 deaths were announced on Thursday, but mortality figures for Wednesday had not been available because of an IT problem. Overall, more than 30,500 people have died and nearly 300,000 have been infected in France.

Mr Castex said Covid-19 was “gaining ground” across the country. There was an “undeniable resurgence of the epidemic”, he said.