President Emmanuel Macron won people over by promising normalcy if they followed Covid advice. Now Omicron has raised questions about whether he, or any leader, can deliver on that.
Faced with the boom of single-use masks in France, the country’s National Assembly set up a “flash mission” on the topic and concluded that wearing washable facemasks should be recommended to the public. EURACTIV France reports.
In the space of a few months, the mask has become an essential part of everyday life in France. As millions of French wear one for the day and throw it away at night, it has become quite the environmental scourge, despite being a health ally.
According to the Agency for the diffusion of technological information (Adit), between 6.8 and 13.7 billion single-use masks will have been used in France in 2020.
The French National Academy of Medicine has urged people to quit the chatter on packed buses and trains, where social distancing is impossible. The country’s health minister earlier asked everyone to wear better quality masks.