France to enforce mask-wearing indoors 'next week' after 'faint signs' of Covid upswing

France is to make it compulsory to wear face masks in enclosed public spaces starting next week, the prime minister has announced, after officials warned of “faint signs" of an upswing in coronavirus infection rates.

Protective masks have been mandatory on public transport since France came out of lockdown in May but the rules will be extended to shops and other public indoor places, Jean Castex told the Senate.

In a Bastille Day speech on July 14, President Emmanuel Macron backed the new clampdown but said it would no doubt not be enforced before August 1. However, a string of doctors and healthcare experts called for an immediate change.

Mr Castex said that an August 1 start date appeared "late" to many, and announced "the decree will enter into force next week."

As for mask-wearing in office buildings, the prime minister said employers will need to consider “a change in health protocols governing the activities concerned."

The move came after health minister Olivier Veran said there were "faint signs of a resurgence" in the epidemic based on hospital admissions and calls to emergency services.

“I urge the French to remain particularly vigilant, active, against the virus," he told public radio.

In the latest official data, released Wednesday, France had seen 133 new coronavirus patients hospitalised in 24 hours, and 17 new admissions to intensive care.

This was down from a high of 4,281 people hospitalised in one day in April.

The virus has claimed over 30,000 lives in France to date.

France initially advised against wearing masks at the start of the epidemic and admitted it was woefully short on stocks. It has since ordered hundreds of millions, many from China.

The announcement came as France’s regional health body, ARS, warned of a “worrying evolution” in infection rates in the western Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, calling on locals to “get their act together and rigorously apply protective measures”.

The region, which includes the Dordogne home to scores of British expatriates, now has 10 clusters after being the least hard-hit during lockdown.

Mayenne, a département in western France, imposed the new mask-wearing rules on Thursday - jumping the gun after its R rate hit 1.5, higher than the national average of 1.2, which sparked an alert and a mass-testing drive in the area.