French regions ‘can now make face masks mandatory’ in outdoor public spaces, Health Minister Veran says

French Health Minister Olivier Veran said that 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 tweeted.

The country’s health authorities reported 1,377 additional confirmed cases of the new coronavirus on Thursday. This brought  the total to 186,573 and moved the seven-day average above the 1,000 threshold for the first time since the first half of May, when France eased its lockdown, Reuters said.