- "If we said that masks were useless, it was to force the French to learn to wash their hands."
- This quote was said by LREM MP Anne Genetet when she was on Cnews, according to a viral Facebook post.
- If the elected official did intervene on the chain on March 31 to raise the issue of protective masks against the coronavirus, the quote grossly distorts his words. 20 Minutes takes stock with Anne Genetet's details.
While the government of Edouard Philippe is criticized for its fluctuating communication about the need to use - or not - masks to protect against coronavirus, a quote attributed to Anne Genetet, LREM MP for the French in abroad, is particularly relayed on social networks.
According to a Facebook post of March 31, shared more than 8,000 times - to name but one - she would have said on Cnews: "If we said that masks were useless, it was to force the French to learn wash one's hands ".
However, if Anne Genetet did intervene on the news channel continuously on March 31 to address the issue of the wearing of protective masks, she did not say what was lent to her - and which distort her speech roughly .
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Asked, during her speech on Cnews, on the assertion of Sibeth Ndiaye, government spokesperson, of March 20 that the masks were "not necessary for everyone", Anne Genetet explained thus (from from 19'35 on the replay): “We must also get back into the situation of the time. […] Who were we talking to at that time? We were talking to people who may have wanted to go get a mask - health workers, there is no need to remind them who and how they should use it, no problem - but in the population general, it is important to specify it again. It was quite normal to say that the surgical mask only protects if you are sick. "
"From 2011, it was considered that we no longer needed a stock of masks"
Sibeth Ndiaye explains why we are in shortage of masks today pic.twitter.com/lHRn7WV7yQ
"This is important because the risk we have is that by wearing a mask [...] as some Asians do - and we have seen this in some countries - there is a relaxation of the measure the most important of which is hand washing. It is this hand washing that is fundamental. And so the risk that we were taking to let people use the masks in any way, was to put on an FFP2 mask - the most protective, which prevents catching the virus when it is well worn -, whether it is worn by people who didn't necessarily need it, ”she continued.
"No questioning of the usefulness of masks"
It is therefore this part of his response that was taken up in a distorted way on social networks. Contacted by 20 Minutes , Anne Genetet specifies: “There is no questioning of the usefulness of masks, which is known: FFP2 protect caregivers, and anti-splash [or surgical masks] are for sick people ".
In a video published on her YouTube channel on January 23 and devoted to the precautions to be taken on the epidemic (then essentially concentrated in China), the member - who is also a doctor - already recommended to people suffering from symptoms of coronavirus to "wear a surgical mask "to" avoid contaminating people around you ". While specifying that this mask protected "only the sick person".
"It must be understood that there were several sequences on the masks, we never said that they were useless but simply that they were not useful at the start of the situation, when the virus was not circulating in France [in January]. But as soon as it started to circulate, the question of wearing masks arose and, noting that the stocks were not at the rendezvous, it was decided to manage them to reserve their use for people those most concerned and avoid shortages ”, adds Anne Genetet to 20 Minutes .
The question of the management, by the government, of the stocks of masks and its recommendations on their use, has however known important omissions or notable changes over the months, as pointed out by "Mediapart" in a survey published today. denouncing a "state lie".
"A false sense of security" highlighted by the WHO (but disputed in Asia)
Anne Genetet also cites Japan as an example of an Asian country where a relaxation of the barrier gestures would have been observed when wearing a mask: “Even yesterday, we saw in Japan people who wear masks but remove them for eat under the cherry blossoms, exposing their mouths without washing their hands. And a mask, when it is badly worn, can lead to contamination, I do not remove a comma on it. "
The World Health Organization (WHO) itself highlights this risk in its recommendations relating to the epidemic: "For asymptomatic people [who can transmit the virus], wearing a mask, whatever its type , is not recommended. Wearing medical masks when not indicated can cause […] supply problems while giving rise to a false sense of security which can lead to neglecting other essential barrier measures. "
“A medical mask is not necessary for people who are not sick, since there is no evidence that it protects them. But masks can be worn in some countries, in accordance with local customs. If masks are used, it is important to follow good practice on how to wear, remove and dispose of them, as well as on hand washing after use, ”adds WHO in another document. However, this advice is seen very critically in several Asian countries, where its use is widespread in normal times, which explains why the call not to wear it as a preventive measure is considered as a serious error, as Le Monde noted in late March.
Would the government still advocate the widespread use of a mask at this time if stocks are not lacking? “Today, if we had masks accessible to everyone, sick people or potentially asymptomatic people […] could wear them, but that is not the case. We must therefore be reasonable and reserve their use for the most exposed people: supermarket employees, police, gendarmes, etc. But when the production of masks has increased, the question will have to be asked as to the way out of confinement, ”concludes Anne. Genetet.
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