Children over 11 and teachers to wear face masks at French schools as debate in Italy continues
Children over 11 and teachers will have to wear face-masks when French schools reopen next week, the education minister announced on Wednesday.
Jean-Michel Blanquer said the government had been considering exempting primary school teachers, but had decided to enforce mask-wearing for adults in all schools.
Italy is mired in a political row over whether children should have to wear face-masks in class when schools reopen next month.
The government appears minded to make mask wearing obligatory, not just in communal areas of schools but in classrooms too.
But some health experts and politicians disagree, saying it is unfair to make children wear masks all day.
Giovanni Toti, the governor of Liguria region in Italy’s northwest, was one of the most prominent politicians to oppose all-day mask wearing and said he had the support of other regional leaders.
There was a similar debate in France, but the government said masks would be compulsory in all indoor areas except school canteens, where social distancing is to be enforced. In playgrounds and other outdoor areas, it will left up to headteachers to decide whether masks must be worn.
“What everyone must understand in a simple and clear manner, is that all adults must wear masks and children and teenagers must wear them starting from the first year of secondary school,” Mr Blanquer said. His ruling came as Marseille made masks compulsory in all outdoor areas of the city amid alarm over a spike in new infections.
Massimo Galli, the head of infectious diseases at Sacco Hospital in Milan, said it would be "impossible" for pupils to wear masks for hours on end.
“I couldn’t even do it myself,” he said. “It’s important that they wear them just when they enter and exit school and during break times.”
The matter was discussed at a summit on the Sept 14 reopening of state schools that involved ministers, regional governors and medical experts.
Desks are to be at least one metre apart and protocols are being put in place for pupils or teachers who test positive for Covid-19.
Italian schools have been closed since early March, shortly before the national lockdown was enforced. Most French schools reopened briefly in June after lockdown was lifted.
Italy is among the countries worst hit by the virus, with a death toll of more than 35,400.
France has reported more than 30,000 coronavirus deaths, Europe’s third-highest toll after the UK and Italy.
