Parisians left confused as face masks made mandatory on some city centre streets

Many Parisians were confused on Monday about the areas where they are required to wear face masks outdoors, under a new rule introduced amid a spike in new coronavirus infections.

People strolling along the banks of the River Seine or window-shopping in some of Paris’s busiest areas, where social distancing is difficult, could be fined €135 (£121) or jailed for six months if they breach the rule three times in a month. But police say they will simply caution people and ask them to put on a mask for the time being.

The rule, which came into force on Monday and is valid for a month initially, applies to about 100 Paris streets, mainly those often crowded with shoppers, as well as outdoor markets, the banks of the Seine, and paths along canals where crowds of young people gather for picnics and drinks. But Parisians said they were having trouble deciphering a map released by the city authorities specifying the locations covered.

Jean-Pierre Joly, who was cycling along the Right Bank of the River Seine without a mask, stopped alongside three policemen on Monday morning. “Am I breaking the law?” the 61-year-old asked. “No,” one officer replied. “If you’re cycling, jogging or playing a sport, you don’t have to wear one.”

That exemption had not been clearly communicated to most members of the public. Many other cyclists and joggers were wearing masks on Monday in temperatures of up to 36C.

The officer, who declined to give his name because he is not authorised to speak to the press, told the Telegraph: “We prefer prevention to punishment. So far no one’s refused to put on a mask."

Hélène Montfort, 43, was wearing a mask while buying groceries on Rue Montorgueil in central Paris, but said the regulations seemed “illogical”.

“I’ve got to wear a mask on this street because it’s pedestrianised and often crowded, but I can take it off on that one over there even though it’s just as busy,” she said.

Tourist sites including the Eiffel Tower, the Champs-Elysées and the Arc de Triomphe are exempted, but the area around the Sacré-Coeur Basilica in Montmartre is included.

Paris is one of the world’s biggest cities to have made face-masks obligatory outdoors in busy areas, but they had already been made compulsory in many other French cities and resorts including Nice, Saint-Tropez, Marseille, Toulouse and Lille.

Masks have been mandatory in indoor public spaces such as shops and banks throughout France since July 21.

An opinion poll at the weekend suggested that more than 60 per cent of French people support making masks compulsory.

But opponents argue that the risk is smaller outdoors. “Nothing very alarming is happening as it’s mainly young people being infected who often don’t show symptoms,” said Martin Blachier, a public health expert. The numbers of intensive care cases and deaths remain relatively low, he added.

Critics say the increase in new infections is partly because France has ramped up testing. But Nicolas Péju, deputy head of the Paris regional health agency, said: “The increase in the number of tests doesn’t fully explain the rise in infections. We’re seeing about 400 new cases a day in the Paris area alone. The situation is deteriorating.”

On Friday France reported 2,288 new infections, the highest daily increase in more than two months.