No magic money for the masks. Emmanuel Macron decided, Tuesday, July 21, during his interview on TF1. The French president said that the taxpayer is "not intended to pay for masks" for everyone, nevertheless promising help for the most precarious.
Since Monday, wearing a mask has become mandatory in closed public places to halt a resumption of the Covid-19 epidemic, a fine of 135 euros being provided for in the event of an offense. A decision by the executive which reopened the debate on the cost of masks.
"The cost of this measure, even if it is essential, is not negligible for the citizens", estimates Jean-Paul Hamon, president of the Federation of the doctors of France, questioned by L'Express.
228 € in the budget of a household with two children
If the government extended the cap on the price of the surgical mask to 95 cents until January 2021, repeat purchases can quickly become a burden on a budget. According to a survey published Monday by Le Parisien, equipping a family with two children with two surgical masks per day would represent a monthly cost of around 228 euros. A sum reduced to 96 euros in the case of washable masks.
[Direct] If the supply of masks is no longer a problem, getting a fabric or disposable model is a significant cost, especially for families> https://t.co/1akueKDDBs pic.twitter.com / jw0l0Upv1b
- Le Parisien (@le_Parisien) July 20, 2020Several political parties, including La France insoumise, the Communist Party and the Socialist Party on the Left, have demanded that the cost of the masks be covered by the state. Jean-Luc Mélenchon thus recalled on Twitter that the deputies of his movement had tabled a bill to this effect as of April 28.
If #masks are required, they must be free. Insubordinate France has tabled a bill. Come on, LREM: vote useful for once! pic.twitter.com/xUzN3g9ABM
- Jean-Luc Mélenchon (@JLMelenchon) July 20, 2020"It is a public health tool. Free must be the rule. We must not choose between protecting ourselves and feeding ourselves. Mask obligatory, yes! Free too!", Also demands Thomas Portes, political advisor to the president of the National Housing Confederation.
For a family of 4 people; the mask budget is € 228 per month. It's huge: It's a public health tool. Free must be the rule. We should not choose between protecting ourselves and feeding ourselves. Mask obligatory yes! Free too! #COVID ー 19 pic.twitter.com/FRPOg2Yz3I
- Thomas Portes ✊ (@Portes_Thomas) July 20, 2020Requests which are not so far removed from the views of the Scientific Council. Thus, its president, Jean-François Delfraissy, indicated Tuesday, July 21 on BFMTV that the health authorities were working on the subject and assured that "a discussion [...] will be put on the table in the coming days".
For the moment, only people who test positive for Covid-19 and their "contacts" as well as people "at very high medical risk" can obtain free prescription masks: 14 per week for the former, ten for the latter. The Minister of Solidarity and Health, Olivier Véran, estimates that 2 million people can benefit from this device left to the appreciation of treating physicians.
"A good debate"
Although it is still necessary to clarify the outlines, this last solution seems to be the one adopted by the French government. Thus, a few hours before the intervention of Emmanuel Macron, his Minister of the Economy, Bruno Le Maire, considered that aid to low-income households was "a good debate".
"Is there a need for additional support? It's a good debate, I don't have the answer this morning, but I think it's a question that needs to be looked at carefully," he said. he declared on Franceinfo.
Olivier Véran for his part stressed that the State had, "early, distributed five million free masks per week, via the CCAS (communal social action centers), by the municipalities". "And we are going to restart this distribution of free masks intended for the precarious public and in particular the public which benefits from complementary solidarity health", he added to the National Assembly during questions to the government.
Others are organized at local levels. Like the Île-de-France region, which will distribute two washable masks to its 500,000 high school students at the start of the school year and "ensure free masks for all charities", according to an announcement on Wednesday from its president, Valérie Pécresse.
With AFP
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