Covid: Face Masks Mandatory in Busy Paris Outdoor Areas as New Cases Rise

• 08.10.2020, 19:20
•  Europe,  World

Reuters

Wearing a face mask in busy outdoor parts of Paris is mandatory from Monday morning as the country records a flare-up in COVID-19 cases.

Multiple streets, markets, as well as river banks and the famous hill of Montmartre are affected by the new decree.

The Paris town hall said in a statement that the measure was introduced because "the virus is again circulating more actively" in the Ile-de-France region with "nearly 400 people testing positive for COVID-19 every day."

"The rate of positive tests now stands at 2.4% in Ile-de-France against 1.6% on the national average," it also said, adding that "the incidence is particularly high in 20-30 year olds."

The measure applies to everyone over the age of 11 and is to last at least a month. The authorities stressed that the areas affected "are likely to change in the coming weeks depending on epidemiological data and observation of the use of public spaces", - Euronews reports.

Failure to comply will result in a €135 fine.