Updated: Where in France do I have to wear a mask when I am outdoors?

The fifth wave of the Covid epidemic has arrived in France – and with it the reimposition of mask-wearing outdoors in some public spaces.

France recorded 49,610 new cases and a 5.8% rate of positive tests in the past 24 hours on Wednesday, December 1.

The new Omicron Covid variant is causing concern with 1 confirmed case, and 12 suspected cases detected in France so far.

Read more:First Omicron case confirmed in mainland France – in Paris region

Where in France do I have to wear a mask when I am outdoors?

Most departments in France have now decided to reimpose mask-wearing in certain outdoor spaces, under varying conditions.

The map below shows which departments require a mask outdoors in which situations, and how long the rules are expected to stay in place for now.

A Flourish map

The dates and rules are changing day by day. You can check the rules for your area by visiting your local government website which will have an address that follows this format: www.[department].gouv.fr.

For example, the website for Saône-et-Loire is www.saone-et-loire.gouv.fr.

Each department also has an official Twitter account where updates are posted. The Twitter handle follows this format: @Prefet[department code].

For example, the Twitter account for Aisne is @Prefet02.

The requirement to wear masks outdoors was lifted on June 17, 2021. However, masks outdoors remained mandatory in theory in places where it was not possible to socially distance, such as at markets, when queuing, in shopping centres and on public transport.

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