Advertisement

French court overturns mayor's compulsory face masks order

AFP/The Local France
AFP/The Local France - [email protected]
French court overturns mayor's compulsory face masks order
Face masks have proved a thorny subject in France. Photo: AFP

A French court on Thursday told a suburban Paris mayor to suspend his order that town residents must wear masks outside to combat coronavirus, a lawyer said.

Advertisement

The court said the order by Mayor Philippe Laurent, mayor of Sceaux in the Hauts-de-Seine département on the outskirts of Paris, "was not justified by any local circumstances, and seriously violates fundamental freedom of movement", said Patrice Spinosi of the League of Human Rights (LDH) group that had filed a complaint.

"Restricting rights and freedoms to ensure public health can only be ordered by a government," Spinosi added.

Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said mayors should not be issuing unilateral orders to wear masks, adding it was a "thorny subject" and "not medically proven".

READ ALSO Masks or no masks - what is the official advice in France?

Many workers in constant contact with the public are already wearing masks, like these boulangerie employees in Cannes. Photo: AFP

Laurent had ordered residents over the age of 10 to wear mask outside starting on Wednesday.

Mayors of several other towns have also said they are considering making masks compulsory in the coming days. 

The mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, has said that masks would be obligatory in the Mediterranean coastal city after France's nationwide lockdown ends.

Debate has raged in France over whether masks help slow the spread of the virus.

Advertisement

The government initially said that was not necessary for the general public - with shortages in hospitals where they were genuinely needed - but later shifted its position to say they could be useful.

The World Health Organisation's advice is still that only healthcare workers and those who already have the virus need to wear a mask.

Masks do not prevent people from getting the virus, but they can stop already infected people spreading it. As more evidence emerges of the number of asymptomatic patients, some authorities have moved to promoting masks as a way to stop the spread.

France's Director General of Health Jérôme Salomon said on Friday: "We encourage the general public, if they so wish, to wear (...) these alternative masks which are being produced."

Compulsory masks is just one of a rash of new local regulations that have been introduced by local authorities and town mayors on top of the government's already strict lockdown measures.

Residents in some areas are banned from doing DIY during the day, spitting, renting a property for less than 14 days or jogging in the daytime.

READ ALSO DIY, spitting and daytime jogging - just some of the things French mayors have banned during lockdown

While local mayors in France do have quite a lot of power, it is not unlimited.

"There must be specific local circumstances and these mayors must be able to demonstrate that the measure is essential to maintain public order in the broadest sense, which includes the fight against epidemics," Yvon Goutal, a lawyer specialising in local government law, told Le Parisien
 
"In case of doubt, the préfecture, an inhabitant or an interested party can refer the matter to an administrative court."

Some local measures have have been withdrawn after protests include a ban on alcohol sales, a ban on sitting on a bench and a ban on going further than 10m from your home.

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also