Coronavirus-Protective Mask Standards To Remain Unchanged In France - Health Minister

Coronavirus-Protective Mask Standards to Remain Unchanged in France - Health Minister

Standards for protective masks against COVID-19 in France remain the same on the current stage of the pandemic in the country, Health Minister Olivier Veran said on France Inter on Tuesday

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th January, 2021) Standards for protective masks against COVID-19 in France remain the same on the current stage of the pandemic in the country, Health Minister Olivier Veran said on France Inter on Tuesday.

"All masks with a filter capacity of more than 90 percent remain valid: this is the case for almost all consumer industrial masks," Veran said.

The minister specified that homemade masks under the same standards would not provide all necessary protection guarantees.

Veran also noted that recommendations from the health authorities did not include the mandatory wearing of FFP2 face masks, a measure set to come in effect in Austria and envisioned in several other EU countries. The effectiveness of FFP2 masks, which filter over 90 percent of airborne particles, is no different from masks with 90 percent filter capacity, he explained.

In the meantime, the night curfew across the country is underway, as well as closures of entertainment and public places. Mandatory mask-wearing has been one of the restrictive measures since the beginning of the pandemic.

As of Tuesday, France has confirmed over 2,970,000 COVID-19 infections with the death toll at nearly 80,000.