PARIS (Reuters) – French Health Minister Olivier Veran said local government officials will now be able to make wearing face masks in outdoor public spaces mandatory to curb the spread of COVID-19.
“This decision can be taken locally, depending on the situation of the epidemic in each region,” Veran said on Twitter.
French health authorities reported 1,377 additional confirmed cases of the new coronavirus on Thursday, bringing the total to 186,573 and the moving 7-day average above the 1,000 threshold for the first time since the first half of May, when France eased its lockdown.
(Reporting by Dominique Vidalon; Editing by Alison Williams)
