After the municipalities of the Pyrénées-Orientales on July 17, then those of Charente-Maritime on the 20, several towns and departments have decided to put the mask back on the outside.

Thus, the wearing of the mask is again compulsory in the public space of certain municipalities of Meurthe-et-Moselle, Hérault, Vendée, in the city center of Toulouse, in Guadeloupe and in the towns of Calvi. , Île-Rousse and Saint-Florent in Haute-Corse, announced on July 21 the prefects of these departments.

More than 50 departments on alert

At issue: an outbreak of covid cases, mainly due to the Delta variant, which is more contagious than other strains of coronavirus.

The areas most affected by this increase in cases are tourist areas, in particular the coast. As of July 22, 51 departments have thus exceeded the alert threshold set at 50 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.

To read also: MAP. Holidays and Covid: the virus is spreading in tourist regions

To each city its rule

The rules for wearing a mask vary locally. In Meurthe-et-Moselle, wearing a mask is compulsory for all pedestrians aged 11 or over, on public roads and in places open to the public from 9 a.m. to midnight, in municipalities with more than 5,000 inhabitants.

In L’Herault, the obligation to wear a mask outdoors is generalized in the department, with the exception of beaches, swimming areas and large natural spaces.

In Vendée, the mask is now compulsory in the public spaces of 22 coastal municipalities including Les Sables d’Olonne and L’Ile d’Yeu.

In Guadeloupe, the compulsory wearing of the mask is reinstated outdoors in built-up areas, between 8 a.m. and 11 p.m. except in rural and natural areas, such as beaches and rivers.

In Charente Maritime, 45 tourist towns such as Ile de Ré, La Rochelle, Royan or Châtelaillon-Plage are subject to this obligation to wear a mask outdoors, except on the beach, in the forest and in parks and gardens.

Since July 17, the municipalities of Eastern Pyrenees also require the wearing of the mask outdoors, with the exception of beaches and large natural spaces.

Since July 16, the wearing of a mask has also become compulsory again in the busy streets of the coast of the departments of Pas-de-Calais and North, as well as in 19 municipalities of the department ofAriège, including Foix, Tarascon and Mirepoix.

It has also been imposed since July 14 to wear a mask outside in 17 municipalities of the Sum and in three cities of Landes : Mont-de-Marsan, Biscarrosse and Dax.