"I consider it very complicated to ask a child of 10 or 11 years old, who is in elementary school, to go to wear a mask all day, indoors, outdoors, to play with in the playground when we start to exceed 30 degrees, "said Friday the Minister of Health Olivier Véran, in response to a question from an 11-year-old France Inter auditor, specifying, however, not to do" d 'arbitration". The resumption of school on May 11 despite the coronavirus worries many parents who do not know what health guarantees will be for their children.
"Scientists change their minds"
"I think that for children we must insist on barrier gestures, hand washing, coughing in the elbow," said the minister. "There is no scientific recommendation which says that masks should be worn by children," he added, adding that he remained "careful because for several weeks scientists have changed their mind, so we - we even adapt our policy. "
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According to him, the country has "tens of millions" of surgical masks for sick or fragile children, "which are distributed to children when justified".
Asked about the wearing of masks for teachers, he estimated that "subject to many parameters", "I imagine that if we are going to allow the French to wear masks for the general public, there is no reason why teachers are not allowed to wear them. "
Wait for the general public masks prepared by France
A gradual return to school and on the basis of parental volunteering is planned after the end of confinement on May 11. While the Academy of Medicine advocates the wearing of masks in public space today, the minister suggested that we had to wait until the masks for the general public prepared by France were ready.
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"To make a mask with a t-shirt is to give the feeling of protection, but the feeling of protection is not protection", he hammered, explaining that if the provision of masks for the general public was longer than in other countries, it is because France had "made the choice to have masks developed which filter at least 70 or most of the time 90% of the particles" corresponding to the droplets carrying the virus.
Towards free distribution for "priority audiences"?
For these masks, which will be distributed from May 4, "the distribution must be wide and reach everyone", based on "mayors and local communities", "pharmacies", "supermarkets", "the convenience stores", "and why not the tobacconists".
Asked about the price, he assured "it's not going to be expensive", "I heard sometimes 2, sometimes 5 euros, as it is a mask that will be washable and reusable 20 or 30 times, we consider that it's been a few cents wearing a mask. " "The question of whether there will be a form of priming by the State", with free distribution "in particular for a priority audience" arises, he added.