France has toughened its line on wearing masks in schools from the age of 11. This decision comes on the eve of the start of the new school year in a country where cases detected positive for Covid-19 are on the rise.
The Minister of Education Jean-Michel Blanquer specified Thursday evening that the wearing of the mask would be ‘systematic from college, and not only when there is no physical distance, in enclosed spaces’. Until now, the mask was compulsory in middle and high schools in confined spaces where a distance of one meter could not be respected.
‘If families are in great difficulty, we are in a position to provide masks to the students who need them the most,’ he also said on Friday during a visit to a school, recalling that the allocation of back to school for the most modest households had been increased by 100 euros this year.
The minister considered that ‘the habit of wearing the mask (should) be taken, including by adolescents’ and that it was’ normal to have this as one has clothes’, that it was part of’ the supplies back to school ‘.
Also in companies
Regarding the teachers who are also required to wear a mask, the minister said that they will be able, when there is a distance of 2 meters from the students, to remove it to teach. The last protocol spoke of a meter. Mr. Blanquer has also ruled out any postponement of the start of the school year when teachers are concerned about the conditions in which it will take place on September 1.
To prevent any epidemic rebound, by the end of August, the mask must also become mandatory in open and shared spaces of companies. It is already used in shops and other enclosed spaces welcoming the public and several cities have also decided to impose it outside on all or part of their territory.
Thursday evening France recorded 4,771 new Covid-19 in 24 hours, against 3,776 Wednesday, an unprecedented increase since May. This is the first time that the barrier of 4,000 new cases over 24 hours has been crossed since May. However, at the same time, the number of new infected patients admitted to French hospitals fell to 149, from 162 on Wednesday.
/ ATS
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