It was one of the last measures in force in France in the face of the Covid 19 epidemic. Wearing a mask will no longer be compulsory in public transport from Monday, the Minister of Health announced on Wednesday May 11. Health, Olivier Véran, leaving the Council of Ministers.
The Minister, who considers that this constraint is “no longer suitable”, clarified, a few minutes later on Twitter, that the lifting of this obligation concerned “all transport”. Are concerned in particular the subway, the bus, the train, the plane and the taxis, specified the cabinet of the ministry to the AFP. The mask “remains recommended, especially for fragile people”, takes care to add Olivier Véran.
This government announcement confirms that the authorities consider that the Covid is finally behind us. All the indicators now seem to be green, with a decrease in the circulation of the virus and hospitalizations. But faced with the detection of two new strains of the Omicron variant, BA.4 and BA.5, in South Africa, some scientists are still urging caution.
End of a series of anti-Covid measures
The government’s announcement marks the lifting of the last major restriction decreed by the authorities in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic which had hit France, like its European neighbors, more than two years ago.
At the start of 2022, the government notably ended the obligation to present a vaccination pass, attesting to having been vaccinated against Covid, to access multiple places, including public transport, restaurants and cinemas.
After the end of the mask in transport, some restrictions will still be maintained. A “health” pass – distinct from the vaccination pass because it also works in the event of a recent negative test – will remain required to access health establishments, and isolation of at least one week will always be imposed after a positive test.
At the hospital level, unvaccinated caregivers, who cannot currently exercise their activity, will not be reinstated immediately, but the government will ask itself the question. “We will have to re-examine ourselves regularly,” said Olivier Véran, announcing his intention to seek the opinion of the High Authority for Health (HAS) on the subject soon.
Finally, the Minister raised the possibility of a new vaccination booster campaign in the fall, but refrained from giving any details, stressing that everything would depend on the appearance of new variants and their profile more or less dangerous or resistant to existing vaccines.