Coronavirus: the initiatives of the mayors recalled by Castaner, the doubtful French

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The availability of masks and their wearing are still a subject of debate in France, where almost 4 in 10 French people (37%) already wear a mask. And 6 times out of 10 it is a mask for medical use, tells us a recent survey by the Odoxa institute. A severe investigation for the executive when the Minister of the Interior asked the prefects yesterday to "withdraw the orders" made by mayors to make it mandatory to wear a mask in the street.

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Clearly, the issue of wearing masks, public procurement and government communications continues to fuel public debate and it bounced again on Thursday.

Invited by the parliamentary fact-finding mission on the Covid-19 epidemic, which interviews political leaders in turn, the Minister of the Interior declared yesterday that he had asked the prefects to intervene with the mayors " so that 'they withdraw their orders during the whole period of confinement '.

Several mayors, including that of Sceaux (Hauts-de-Seine) and Nice (Alpes-Maritimes) have issued orders making it compulsory to wear a mask for everyone, some providing for a verbalization of offenders. Christian Estrosi, mayor LR, even warned: all Niçois over three years old will have to wear one when deconfinement.

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The mayors' initiative poses several problems, argued the minister. On the one hand wearing a mask can suggest that we can get out and break out of confinement. On the other hand, " It is a subject of territorial equality, because certain municipalities can have the means to equip all of their population in masks, when others do not have it." »But local adaptations could be decided in a second step, at the time of the release of the confinement.

And finally, Christophe Castaner took up the argument hammered by the executive since the beginning of the health crisis: the effectiveness of masks " is not medically " demonstrated. An argument that was undermined even recently by the position of the Academy of Medicine .

Christophe Castaner: "I asked the prefects to make a commitment with these mayors, so that they withdraw their orders during the entire period of confinement" at the microphone of Julien Chavanne

RFI

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An Odoxa survey with harsh lessons

According to a survey by the Odoxa Institute, 72% of French people ask that the mask be made compulsory in all the municipalities of France. A poll which also drives the point home on the feeling that the French about the way the executive manages this health crisis: three-quarters of the French think that, on the masks, the government was neither " clear ”or“ consistent ”.

Logically, they are therefore just as squarely thinking that the government lied to them " by dissuading them from wearing them because there were not enough for caregivers ".

Inefficiency, lack of clarity and lack of competence: the criticism is threefold, whatever the political affiliation. Supporters of the presidential party are less harsh, but still 6 out of 10 share the idea of ​​an inconsistent government. Odoxa concludes that " the government's credibility seems to have been shattered on this question of masks ".

All of this could cost the head of state politically dear after the crisis. Before that, Monday, in his speech , he will have to give a credible word to restore a little confidence in his instructions.

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• France
• Coronavirus
• Christophe Castaner

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