Are CLOTH masks okay for use in France?

i’m not suggesting this is a valid legal interpretation, or will comply with actual French requirements, but it seems that on the Delta flight, they will be enforcing what they think is mandated, i.e. surgical mask. Once you land, Delta’s no longer in charge.

I was in France last week. I got a Covid test in a pharmacy that sold surgical masks that all of the staff wore. The hotel workers. train operators etc. all wore surgical.masks different colors. No one wore masks on the streets.

USA based airlines follow separate rules from that.

FYI Jazz, to clear up any misconceptions, this week, as the situation is evolving, masks are mandatory on the street in certain regions.

We were in Strasbourg last week. I packed the same "surgical-type" masks from Costco that I wear in CA and no one said a thing.

The French mandate appears that the mask must be able to cover both nose and mouth. All Pandemic, lots of people have missed out on wearing the mask over their nose - just covering their mouth. Those are at least people who aren’t simply wearing the mask around their throat, totally beneath their chin! On Olympics TV coverage last night, the French equestrian coaches/trainers were shown all celebrating their competitor’s clean jumping run, with masks over their mouths, but not noses. Olympic officials apparently weren’t concerned, but when those folks get home, maybe it’ll be different for them.

Thanks for any feedback regarding CLOTH masks.

My additional 2 cents worth, as I’ve not been to France now in 2 1/2, but am headed to Italy next month, so need to be prepared as well: During the first year of the pandemic in the USA, I mostly used cloth masks. My husband was mostly using paper surgical masks. Depending on the situation, we’d occasionally double mask. Two cloth masks at the same time, if you can breathe and they’re not too uncomfortable, are certainly better then none. A single cloth mask also definitely provides a cover for your nose and mouth, better than none, and is definitely a mask, even if it’s not an N95. And they’re more to protect others from you, then you from them. If you’re vaccinated, then you’ve done more than 90% of the work, and the mask of any kind is a 10% icing on the cake.

Hopefully those in, or returned from France can assure you of mask types in use there. If necessary, you can buy something over there, if what you already have isn’t quite meeting protocol. Have a great trip, masks notwithstanding!

This is strictly anecdotal evidence. And as Bets said, it is an evolving situation. I was in Paris last weeks. Mandatory masks indoors. Absolutely. Few masks on the street. Both paper and cloth masks.

We liked the combination of a paper (surgical mask) under a fabric mask. It was actually more comfortable/easier to wear than just a fabric mask. I would bring a few different types to allow you to adapt to different conditions or mandates. Maybe at least one like a N95 and then cloth and paper masks.

I think more importantly if people could understand that the mask goes over nose and mouth. Is it really that difficult?

There was guidence issued a while ago saying that cloth masks were no longer sufficient. I don't recall it being issued, but I saw reference to it when entering a supermarket last week. They certainly were not allowing cloth maks inside.

I do still wear a cloth mask occasionally, mainly when I am on the street in places that require masks to be worn outside. Otehrwise, we have various approved masks we carry.

Luckily, the pricer of masks is government controlled to avoid profiteering.

I'm in France and have been here on and off since the pandemic began. Cloth masks aren't favored. Most people wear surgical masks, in blue and other colors.

Personally, I ditched my cute, interesting, fashionable, colorful US cloth masks immediately upon return to France because they are too hard to breath when out and about walking, which most of us do much more in Europe than the US.

Furthermore, from the getgo, the instructions have been to change your mask every four hours. At one point we were instructed that they could be washed in the machine and reused a few times.

A compromise would be a mask made by this company that Pam posted last year. Their products are light, breathable, washable, triple layer: Lanière Santé.

I know of no government requirement for a particular kind of mask to be worn by the general public, other than the requirement that the mask covers nose and mouth. Cloth masks are not supposed to be worn by workers while in their workplace.

This article from January quotes the French Health Minister as distinguishing between homemade cloth masks (not acceptable) and factory-made cloth masks produced according to French norms (such cloth masks are "at the heart of the recommendation of the High Council for Public Health" [Ce sont les masques en tissu qui sont au cœur de la recommandation du Haut conseil de la santé publique]). This report on the same interview has a convenient pictorial guide to mask types. But -- that was from January 2021 so his view may have changed. I haven't seen any more recent pronouncements on that topic.

Light blue cloth masks were distributed at no cost by various mayors and département governments (like a county) early in the pandemic, and I still see them occasionally. Cloth masks are sold widely in stores and generally are blue, black or white. You can also find cloth with patterns if that's your preference. Those can be washed and reused up to 30 times before needing disposal. I'm sure that guidance is closely followed...

But by far (in my experience) the most common are disposable blue "surgical" masks. Less common are FFP2 masks (similar to a U.S. N95 mask), but I'm seeing those more frequently as the Delta variant becomes more prevalent.

This web page has the most detailed explanation of mask types I've seen from the government. If you don't read French, you can use an online translator such as DeepL to get through it.

I follow an American expat vlogger who lives in Paris and every video he's done since the start of this, he's been wearing well-fitting cloth masks. That is, until he recently flew to Sweden and the airline made him change to the blue surgical type. But I never have seen him in anything but cloth anywhere in France that I can recall.

The airlines' requirement may be different than the locality's. I flew Lufthansa to Munich from Los Angeles, and Luftahnsa was very clear that only a surgical or N95/FFP2 would suffice for the flight; no cloth masks. I actually found the FFP2 to be more comfortable and easier to breathe in than a cloth mask. People didn't wear them on the streets, but definitely indoors.

My response is purely from a practical point of view. You need a clean mask for each day.. so, you either pack enough clean in advance that you can meet that standard, find laundry facilities, or switch to disposable for your trip. Only you know which is most convenient for you.

I personally would dislike having those dirty masks I. My suitcase after use.

We are in Paris now for our vacation. We brought cloth, medical masks, and N95. My husband has been wearing his cloth LSU mask and I wear the medical. We have n95 if we need to used in crowded area. In restaurants, our servers wear both cloth and medical masks.