As the number of Covid cases continues to decline in France, certain restrictions are to be lifted as of Monday. Masks will no longer be mandatory in venues that require a vaccine pass such as cinemas and museums, however they must be worn in other places such as companies and public transport.
As of Monday, visitors to museums, cinemas and restaurants will no longer have to wear a mask. They will instead be required to show their vaccine pass.
Mask-wearing remains mandatory however at places of work, in shops, public service and administrative buildings, as well as public transport (planes and trains).
In terms of tests, for fully vaccinated people -- only one self test, antigen or PCR will be required two days after contact with a positive Covid case. Prior to Monday, three tests were necessary.
If the self-test is positive, a PCR lab test will be needed to confirm the result.
If positive, people fully vaccinated or under 12 years of age must isolate for 7 days, with a possibility of shortening the isolation after 5 days in the absence of symptoms, provided they can declare a negative test result after this period.
School rules
The Covid protocol in schools has also been reduced to a more moderate Level 2.
Masks are no longer required for children in outdoor playgrounds, however they must be worn indoors from the age of 6 onwards.
Only one test is required for children who come into contact with a positive case, two days following the encounter. If negative, the child can continue attending class, and if positive, a period of 7 days isolation must be observed.
The fifth wave of Covid-19 infections in France, principally driven by the so-called Delta variant of the coronavirus and its extremely contagious successor Omicron, is losing force, according to the latest statistics from the French public health authorities.
The latest official figures show that nearly 2,500 Covid sufferers are now in emergency care, but the number of admissions to hospital continues to decline.
Official figures showing decline
- 42 600 new cases were reported in the previous 24 hours, compared to a seven-day average of 59,844 for the period ending on Saturday.
- There were 384 hospital admissions, compared to 712 on Friday and 1,834 last Tuesday.
- Admissions to emergency care numbered 59, down from 62 on Friday, 206 last Tuesday.
- In total, there are 25,277 individuals in hospital suffering from Covid-19, and 2,491 in emergency care.
Among the requirements stipulated by the French government to allow a relaxation of the current public health restrictions, the number of patients in intensive care must be below 1,500.
French Health Minister Olivier Véran has also spoken of the need to see the number of infections drop below the limit of 500 cases for every 100,000 inhabitants.
The figure is currently 646 per 100,000.
