The distribution methods have not yet been revealed, but many avenues are being explored. A chain of manufacturing masks for the general public in textiles has been launched.
Things are accelerating, while the prospect of deconfinement is causing more concern among doctors and scientists.
After the exchanges yesterday between Emmanuel Macron and local elected officials on the first plans for deconfinement of France on May 11th, or even the recent announcements by Jean-Michel Blanquer on the conditions of return to school, it is the turn of the Ministry of the Economy to speak.
Of protective masks should start being distributed to French from May 4th, has indicated this Friday 27th April 2020 Agnès Pannier-Runacher, the Secretary of State for the Economy, in an interview with Les Echos.
« Les Français pourront se procurer des masques à partir du 4 mai » https://t.co/RH3KjB0Ouo
— Les Echos (@LesEchos) April 24, 2020
A French industrial sector for masks
The exact distribution methods have not been revealed but some have already been “identified”, she continues, explaining that several have been “identified to allow as many French people as possible to have access to them”.
“It remains to decide questions: how to avoid a phenomenon of overstocking by some at the risk of causing local supply disruptions? How to rely on local communities?”
Pharmacists, tobacco shops, online businesses, town halls… the government is looking at “all the hypotheses”. If no price has been advanced for the time for these new masks, the framing of sales prices is not on the agenda, continues the Secretary of State.
“But to get an idea of the price, you have to relate the price of the reusable textile mask to the number of washes. A 1.50 euro mask washable 30 times is a mask that costs 5 cents per use.”
The Confederation of tobacconists, quoted in Le Parisien, advances a unit price of 5 euros.
25 million masks per week at the end of April
The government has also set up a French industrial sector of the general public mask “most often washable and reusable” up to 20-30 times, in order to equip the population.
10 million masks were already produced last week “by French production and imports”, continues the Secretary of State. And that figure is expected to reach 25 million per week by the end of April.
A month ago, we asked each industrial sector and large group to order masks for their companies, in particular SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) and ETI (medium-sized companies).
Additional decisions will be announced “soon” by the government, she concluded.
#Covid19 | Interview
Nous mettons en place une filière industrielle 🇫🇷 du masque pour permettre d’équiper les Français. Plusieurs modes de distribution ont été identifiés. De premières expérimentations seront faites à partir du 4 mai ⤵️https://t.co/LQ9bNoUaW3— Agnès Pannier-Runacher (@AgnesRunacher) April 24, 2020
