Coronavirus: France mandates masks for schools

and transport
Read the complete article at https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-52459030

France will make face masks compulsory on public transport and in secondary schools when it
starts easing its coronavirus lockdown on 11 May, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe has said.

Schools will resume classes gradually, starting with kindergartens and primary schools.

Middle schools in districts with milder outbreaks may follow from 18 May, and high schools at
the end of the month.

Shops and markets will also reopen from 11 May, but not bars and restaurants.

Stores will have the right to ask shoppers to wear masks, and should ensure they remain a
metre (3ft) apart, the prime minister said.

Face masks will also be compulsory in school for children aged over 11.

In a relief to many, the French will be able to go outside again without a certificate confirming
their intentions, and public gatherings of up to 10 people will be allowed. Crèches will also
reopen - but with a maximum of 10 children in each group.

France has suffered one of the highest Covid-19 death rates in Europe, along with the UK, Italy
and Spain.

On Tuesday the number of people who have died with the virus rose by 367 to 23,660, the
country's health ministry said. Some 129,859 people have been infected.

Hospital admissions and the number of patients in intensive care have been falling, however,
giving cause for cautious optimism.