Covid-19: the return of the mask to school in some departments “is unfortunately necessary” according to a – Franceinfo

The mask will have to be put back on at school from Monday, November 8 in certain territories because of the Covid-19 epidemic. The government announced Wednesday that 39 departments should again submit to this measure, bringing to 61 the number of departments where it will apply. “The return of the various measures is unfortunately necessary”, judged on franceinfo Pascal Crépey, researcher in epidemiology. “We will see if they are sufficient to keep the epidemic under control.”

>> MAP. Covid-19: wearing a mask again compulsory in primary school from Monday in 39 additional departments

The researcher believes that the school vacation period is rather favorable to a decline in the epidemic. “The holidays have so far tended to flatten epidemic curves and reduce the number of transmissions.” This is in particular due to the lack of mixing of the pupils but also to the fact that their parents do not go to work and therefore have fewer potential contacts. This lull could therefore end during the recovery. “When the holidays come to an end, there is potentially a risk that this increase in incidence will become a little stronger.”

However, according to the researcher, “it is difficult to say at the present time whether it is a [nouvelle] wave that will overwhelm us or if it is a wave that just corresponds to this increase in incidence that we have already observed for a few weeks “. This increase corresponds, according to him, “to the increase in transmissions linked to the winter season”. However, he hopes that the increase in hospitalizations will be “in a lesser proportion than what we have known before”.