A Carrefour supermarket chain store in southeastern France has decided to prevent consumers from entering wearing masks for “safety reasons”.
While maintaining health is no longer mandatory in stores across the country, France continues to record around 50,000 positive daily cases of covid-19.
At a Carrefour unit in the city of Grenoble, the manager put up a sign on the door that said “mask is prohibited”. The text invokes a 2010 law to justify customers’ demand to “keep their face in the establishment.”
A photo of the poster was posted on social media last Sunday and sparked outrage.
Questioned by the French newspaper Libération, the store manager confirmed that he had hung the poster and said it was a security measure to prevent theft.
“Those who steal when they have to, and those who don’t, should wear masks. When there was a robbery, we had no proof. [para mostrar à polícia]”, he argues.
“Now that the mask is no longer required, it needs to be recognizable in a government agency,” he says.
Since 14 March in France, the use of masks in public commercial establishments is no longer mandatory. However, the country’s health authorities continue to recommend using it “for sensitive people” in closed or crowded places.
The use of protective accessories in public transport vehicles and health centers continues to be mandatory.
The 2010 law quoted by the Carrefour chain store prohibits the use of clothes and accessories that completely cover the face in stores. However, the text provides an exception for health reasons, such as protection against transmission of the coronavirus.
Questioned by Libération journalists, the executive says the organization only requires “suspicious” people to show their faces. “We’re not after everyone. There must be 25% of customers holding the mask.”
Carrefour says the poster has already been removed and is against the group’s rules.
With 80% of French people vaccinated against covid-19, the country dropped major health restrictions in March.
However, the circulation of the virus continues, with around 50,000 daily cases recorded by the Ministry of Health. Currently, there are 1,600 patients hospitalized in the intensive care unit due to illness in the country.
source: Noticias
