COVID MASK. As of Monday, February 28, 2022, wearing a mask is no longer compulsory in all closed places. Here are which ones are affected.
It’s (almost) the end of the mask! After being introduced, then repealed and then back in force, the wearing of a mask in a certain number of closed places is lifted from this Monday, February 28, 2022. But not all are concerned. These are all closed spaces to which access is subject to the vaccination pass, i.e. the vast majority. Cafés, restaurants, cinemas, concert halls, performance halls, museums, libraries, sports halls or even casinos… So many places in which the mask can now be dropped (see below for the complete list). On the other hand, protection is still compulsory in a certain number of closed spaces of daily life, such as companies, shops, hospitals or even all public transport, whether it is the bus, the train or the metro. . Schools, colleges and high schools are also still concerned: the mask can only be removed in schools during recess. The final end of the wearing of the mask is hoped for mid-March, as announced by the Minister of Health, Olivier Véran.
In a press release dated February 11, 2022, the Ministry of Health indicated that “in other closed places, subject to the vaccination pass, wearing a mask will no longer be compulsory”, from February 28. These are:
- theaters
- theme parks
- concert halls
- festivals
- sports halls
- sports speakers
- game rooms
- libraries
- documentation centers
- cinemas
- bars
- restaurants
- fairs
- trade shows
- professional seminars if they take place outside the company and bring together more than 50 people;
- ski lifts in ski resorts
- access to tourist accommodation such as campsites or holiday clubs with a single check at the start of the stay.
If the mask can now be dropped in many places, it remains mandatory inside several spaces of daily life:
- Transport. Bus and ferry stations as well as airports.
- Schools, holiday centers and leisure centres. The wearing of a compulsory mask concerns early learning, teaching and training establishments; holiday centres; leisure centers without accommodation for adult teachers and supervisors. Children over 6 years old (from primary school) must also wear it.
- Shops. Sales outlets, shopping centers and covered markets are affected by the wearing of compulsory masks.
- In company
Companies are subject to wearing a mandatory mask via a health protocol defined by the Ministry of Labor. This document indicates that “following the update of scientific knowledge on the transmission of the virus by aerosols and taking into account the recommendations of the HCSP dated August 28, 2020 and January 14, 18 and 20, 2021, the wearing of a mask is systematic within companies in closed collective places. It is either a “general public filtration greater than 90%” mask (corresponding to the so-called “category 1″ mask), or a surgical type mask”. Exceptions are provided for, such as in individual offices, well-ventilated workshops or when the work is carried out outdoors.
At school, masks once again became a compulsory accessory everywhere in France on November 15, 2021. Since that date, children have been forced to wear a mask from the age of 6, i.e. from primary school. For parents, teachers and adult supervisors, it is also compulsory within the establishment, both indoors and outdoors. After almost four months of obligation, students as well as teachers and supervising staff will be able, from February 28, to remove the masks outdoors. Wearing a mask will also no longer be necessary when practicing indoor physical activities as long as social distancing is respected.
The announcement is part of the new health protocol at school gradually lightened from the start of the February holidays, i.e. February 21 for zone B (Aix-Marseille, Amiens, Caen, Lille, Nancy-Metz, Nantes, Nice , Orleans-Tours, Reims, Rennes, Rouen and Strasbourg).
The mask is no longer a mandatory outdoor accessory since February 2 and the first wave of lifting of restrictions. It is no longer compulsory but it remains recommended and the government is appealing to the logic of the French to reconnect with the wearing of a mask in very busy places.
Schools are the only places in which wearing a mask is always compulsory outdoors, such as in playgrounds or outdoor sports arenas. For students and teachers, the end date of the obligation is set for February 28 in accordance with the reductions in the health protocol set out this Friday, February 11, 2022.
The fine in force in the event of non-compliance with the wearing of the compulsory mask should remain at 135 euros. “Failure to comply with this measure could be liable, as is the case in other places where wearing a mask is compulsory, in particular transport, to a 4th class fine” defined by a fixed fine of 135 euros , had specified the general directorate of health as soon as this measure was put in place last year. In case of recidivism, the amount can go up to 1500 euros.