Masks to become mandatory in France

President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday France would turn the screw on mask-wearing among signs that the coronavirus is picking up again in some parts of the country.

POLITICO reports that Macron also stated that France would be among the first countries to get a coronavirus vaccine if it is developed by French-headquartered Sanofi or another company committed to international cooperation, during a wide-ranging televised interview on Bastille Day.

The virus killed more than 30,000 people in France. 

While it has been on the decline, Macron said it was spreading again in some places as France opens up beaches, bars and restaurants after a two-month lockdown. “We have some signs that it’s coming back a bit,” Macron said in an interview with French broadcasters. “Faced with that, we must anticipate and prepare.

“I want us, in the next few weeks, to make masks compulsory in enclosed public places.”I ask fellow citizens to wear masks as much as possible when they are outside, and especially so when they are in an enclosed space,” Macron said.

Up to now, France has required people to wear face coverings on public transport and in public spaces where social distancing is not possible, but has not mandated the wearing of masks in shops.

FranceTVInfo  / Reuters / POLITICO