Outdoor mask wearing takes effect.
PARIS, Aug 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Rules on wearing masks outdoors in the hardest-hit parts of France take effect on Monday, the latest move to tighten coronavirus restrictions after a nationwide decree last month required people to wear masks in all indoor public places.
Pressure is growing on the government to mandate the use of masks outdoors nationwide.
Beach resorts along France’s Atlantic coast, picturesque promenades along the Loire River and farmers’ markets in the Alps are among the areas of France where people are now required to wear masks outdoors.
People must also wear masks along many parts of the southern French city of Nice, Mayor Christian Estrosi said, including the tourist boulevard, the Promenade des Anglais.
France has been seeing an uptick in coronavirus infections and hundreds of new clusters in recent weeks, notably as young people gather at cafés or parties and families meet up for summer vacation.
Starting on Monday, 69 towns in the Mayenne region of western France have imposed outdoor mask rules.
France has reported 7,000 new cases in the last week, after bringing the virus nearly under control with a strict two-month nationwide lockdown that ran from March 17 to May 11.
New Prime Minister Jean Castex arrived in Lille on Monday morning for a quick visit intended to take stock of the resurgence of the virus there. Wearing a mask is now mandatory in many open public spaces in the northern city.
In the Lille metro area, with 1.2 million inhabitants, authorities have reported a “worrying” progression of the epidemic, with the incidence rate almost doubling in one week to 31 infected people per 100,000 inhabitants.
France has confirmed 30,265 virus-related deaths since the pandemic began. — NNN-AGENCIES
