'Clear COVID-19 Spread' France Mandates Mask Wearing in Elementary Schools

French President Emmanuel Macron [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] On the 15th (local time), France reinstated the mandatory wearing of masks in all elementary schools nationwide.

This reverses the relaxation of regulations last month that allowed elementary school students in regions with low COVID-19 spread to go without masks.

In France, the number of new COVID-19 cases has clearly increased to over 10,000 daily since the beginning of this month. The situation is particularly concerning as neighboring countries, the United Kingdom and Germany, have seen explosive increases in COVID-19 cases.

President Emmanuel Macron stated in a national address on the 9th, "Although there will be difficulties, we will maintain the mandatory mask-wearing policy in schools for the time being."

Alongside this, France implemented stricter entry regulations from the 13th targeting countries with severe COVID-19 outbreaks.

Those aged 12 and over who have not completed vaccination must submit a COVID-19 test result taken within 24 hours, not 72 hours, before entering France. Belgium, Germany, Austria, Greece, Ireland, the Netherlands, and the Czech Republic have been designated as applicable countries.

France has recorded a total of 7,287,645 confirmed COVID-19 cases, ranking seventh worldwide, and 118,154 cumulative deaths, ranking twelfth globally.

As of the 14th of this month, 50,436,778 people, equivalent to 74.8% of the total population, have completed the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in France.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.