INTERVIEW
Are the French living with the generalization of the wearing of masks? While several violent altercations have been provoked by this subject, Antoine Pelissolo, head of the psychiatry service at the CHU Henri Mondor in Créteil, sees "relatively isolated examples" which are not representative of the good behavior of the French vis-à-vis constraints related to the coronavirus.
"On the whole, the rules are pretty well respected"
"The oppositions that we see, we should not highlight them as being the model of response of French society", judge Antoine Pelissolo. "From the start, French society has shown a lot of positive reactions to the difficult situation of this pandemic. On the whole, the rules are pretty well respected," recalls the psychiatrist.
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The clashes that we observe are the result of "deep fears of this disease on the part of those who defend the wearing of the mask and those who, in the face, say 'I want to breathe normally.' So between people it creates tensions".
"It's a new culture, a new stage and you have to get used to it"
The epidermal reactions to the non-wearing of the mask are linked "to a background of the pandemic, deaths that we have been trying to avoid from the start", analyzes Antoine Pelissolo. Conversely, "there are everyone's reactions to imposed measures that we do not always accept". According to him, there is also a relational aspect: "when you wear a mask, you no longer see the other. It's a new culture, a new stage and you have to get used to it".
"It is true that it is a measure a little intrusive in the daily life", recognizes the psychiatrist. "This is the first time that something that is imposed on everyone has entered our daily life. Symbolically, it is something imposed by the government, for good reason, but not everyone don't understand. We need a lot of pedagogy, solidarity and national unity ".
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Antoine Pelissolo also pleads for a generalization of the wearing of the mask in public places, inside as outside. A provisional measure but which would have the merit of clarity. If he recognizes its intrusive nature, he says he is confident that "most of us are ready to accept this additional constraint".