Tourism is booming again in France _ and so is COVID-19. French officials have “invited” or “recommended” people to wear face masks again, but stopped short of renewing restrictions that would drive away visitors or revive anti-government protests.
From commuters in Paris to tourists on the French Riviera, many people seem to welcome the government’s light touch, while some worry that the required prevention measures are needed.
Virus-related hospitalizations have risen rapidly in France over the past two weeks, with nearly 1,000 COVID-19 patients hospitalized each day, according to government data. Infections are also rising in Europe and the United States, but France has an exceptionally high proportion of people hospitalized, according to estimates from Our World in Data.
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French government spokeswoman Olivia Gregoire said there are no plans to reintroduce national regulations limiting or setting conditions for indoor gatherings and other activities.
“The French are fed up with the restrictions,” he said Wednesday on the BFMTV channel. “We trust that people will behave responsibly.”
France’s parliamentary elections last month resulted in President Emmanuel Macron losing his majority in the national legislature, while far-right and far-left parties that had protested his government’s previous vaccine and mask rules won seats. .
After the prime minister recommended this week that people go back to wearing masks on public transport, traveler Raphaelle Vertaldi said: “We need to deal with the virus, but we cannot stop living because of it.”
Vertaldi, who was boarding a train in Boussy-Saint-Antoine, south of Paris, said he opposed mandatory mask wearing but would go back to covering his mouth and nose if required by the government.
Hassani Mohammed, a postal worker in Paris, did not wait for the government to decide. He masks up before his daily commute. With his wife recovering from surgery and two children at home, he doesn’t want to risk contracting the coronavirus a third time.
“I realized that the pandemic does not belong to the past,” Mohammed said.
The masks have been controversial in France. Early in the pandemic, the French government suggested that masks were not useful. Ultimately, it introduced some of the toughest restrictions in Europe, including an indoor and outdoor mask mandate that lasted for more than a year, along with strict lockdowns.
A Paris court ruled on Tuesday that the French government did not stock up on surgical masks sufficiently at the start of the pandemic and did not prevent the spread of the virus. The Paris administrative court also ruled that the government was wrong to suggest early on that masks did not protect people from becoming infected.
The government lifted most virus rules in April, and foreign tourists have returned by land, sea and air to the beaches, restaurants and bars of the French Mediterranean.
Meanwhile, French hospitals are struggling with long-term staff and funding shortages. Local officials are contemplating new measures, including an indoor mask-wearing mandate in some cities, but nothing to slow economic activity.
French tourism professionals expect a prosperous summer season despite the virus, with numbers that may even exceed pre-pandemic levels as Americans benefit from the weaker euro and others rediscover foreign travel after more than two years of a more restricted existence.
On the French Riviera, a slow economic recovery began last summer. But with meeting attendance still limited, social distancing rules and travel restrictions in place a year ago, most visitors to the area were French.
A tour guide and electric bike taxi driver in Nice described her joy at seeing foreign visitors again. During France’s repeated lockdowns, she transported essential workers and brought people to hospitals, to care for elderly relatives or for PCR tests.
Now, riders on their bike from the US, Australia, Germany, Italy, or out of reach of hand sanitizer taped to the barrier between the passenger and driver seats. She said she still diligently sanitizes the bike before every ride, “like it’s 2020.”
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A retired couple from the United Kingdom visited France this week on their first trip abroad since pandemic travel restrictions were lifted. They started with a cruise down the Rhône River (face masks were mandatory on the ship) and ended with a few days in the Mediterranean.
“It’s been wonderful from start to finish,” said Ros Runcie, who was in Nice with her husband, Gordon. “Everyone is very happy to see you, everyone is very polite and friendly to visitors.”
Sue Baker, traveling with her husband, Phil, and the Runcys, observed: “It looks a lot like pre-2020.”
Asked about the possible return of French mask rules, Phil Baker said: “Masks are a bit uncomfortable, especially in the heat.”
But his wife added: “If that means we can still go on vacation, we will put them back without hesitation.”
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Le Deley reported from Boussy-Saint-Antoine, France.
© 2022 The Canadian Press