France now requiring masks at work
Depression rate nearly twice as high in Britain
PARIS — France is now mandating masks in all workplaces, from the
Paris business district to factories in the provinces, as it tries to contain the growing number of virus infections but avoid shutting down the economy.
Tuesday’s announcement by the Labor Ministry makes France one of relatively few countries in the world that are universally requiring workers to wear masks on the job, though they’re routinely worn in many Asian countries and increasingly required in public places beyond.
The move came after France’s daily infection count over the weekend jumped past 3,000 for the first time since May and as the number of virus patients in hospitals, intensive care units and nursing homes is starting to inch up again.
France currently has among the highest infection rates in Europe and already requires masks in public indoor spaces like restaurants and in many areas outdoors.
As of Sept. 1, masks will also be required in all shared, enclosed workspaces, including open-plan or shared offices, corridors, meeting rooms and changing rooms, according to the new government rules. They can be removed only when someone is alone in an individual office.
Meanwhile, Champagne producers decided Tuesday to put unprecedented limits on the quantity of grapes they’ll harvest this year in hopes of propping up prices and containing damage from the coronavirus pandemic.
As a result, record amounts of grapes may need to be destroyed or sold to distilleries at discounted prices.
But for the Champagne Committee, the influential group that represents 16,000 vintners around the Champagne region, that’s the price to pay for saving their luxury business. In other developments:
The British government announced Tuesday that it is scrapping a public health agency that has taken blame for the country’s uneven response to the novel coronavirus. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the work of Public Health England will become part of a new body, the National Institute for Health Protection, which will guard against infectious diseases and biosecurity threats.
■ Rates of depression appear to have almost doubled in Britain since the country was put into lockdown in late March, according to the country’s official statistics agency. The Office for National Statistics said in a special study released Tuesday that 19.2 percent of adults were likely to be experiencing symptoms of depression in June, three months into the lockdown of large chunks of society and the economy. That proportion is up from 9.7 percent recorded between July 2019 and March.
■ Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte decided to ease a mild coronavirus lockdown in the capital and four outlying provinces. Most businesses, including shopping malls and dine-in restaurants, and church services will be allowed to partially resume on Wednesday with masks and social distancing required.
■ South Africa relaxed its restrictions Tuesday, permitting the sales of alcohol and cigarettes in response to a decrease in new cases and hospitalizations for COVID-19. People lined up at shops across the country wearing face masks and keeping a safe distance to purchase the previously banned liquor and cigarettes.