Wearing a mask will no longer be compulsory in the metro, bus, train, plane and taxis from Monday May 16, announced the French Minister of Health, Olivier Véran. A virtual return to normal life, more than two years after the start of the pandemic.
The news was announced at the end of the Council of Ministers, the last of the Castex government. “From Monday May 16, wearing a mask will no longer be compulsory on all public transport,” said Minister of Health Olivier Véran. It will nevertheless remain recommended, in the same way as in supermarkets or cinemas.
After the end of wearing the mask in the public space and the health pass, it is therefore that of the last major marker of the Covid-19 epidemic, a decision which confirms the fact that the disease has become a lesser health and political concern. The health situation was indeed little mentioned during the presidential campaign which saw the re-election of Emmanuel Macron.
” The situation is improving “, summed up Olivier Véran. For more than a month, contaminations and hospitalizations are finally decreasing after a very long winter wave. This has itself proved to be manageable by hospitals, due to the good protection of the population by vaccination, as well as the relatively low dangerousness of the Omicron variant.
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A health pass will still be required to access health establishments in the broad sense (hospitals, nursing homes, etc.). An isolation of at least one week will always be imposed after a positive test.
For the government, the question remains whether unvaccinated caregivers, who cannot currently carry out their activity, will be reinstated in their hospitals. ” We will have to re-examine ourselves regularly “said Olivier Véran.
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.
(With AFP)