Mask-wearing mandatory in indoor public places from next week: French PM

French Prime Minister Jean Castex announced on Thursday that face masks would be mandatory in all indoor public spaces from next week to prevent the transmission of COVID-19, which health authorities fear may spread faster during summer holidays.

"I proposed that the obligation to wear it (face mask) be reinforced in all indoor establishments receiving the public, particularly shops ... The decree will come into force next week," Castex told the Senate while presenting the government's general policy.

President Emmanuel Macron declared On Tuesday that masks would be made compulsory in all indoor public spaces in the next weeks, probably starting on Aug. 1, citing signs that the virus was re-accelerating.

On Wednesday, 416 new cases were detected, bringing the total to 173,304 while 97 active clusters were under investigation. By Wednesday, a total of 30,120 people in France have died from COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.

In its latest report, the country's Public Health Agency warned that the virus "tends to increase in mainland France." The virus' reproduction rate, known as the "R0" rate, was above 1 compared with 0.6 in recent weeks, it noted.

Utmost vigilance was necessary to avoid any resurgence of the epidemic, notably via strict respect for barrier gestures and social distancing during summer holidays, when "risky behaviors" are likely to increase, said the agency.