COVID: Face masks compulsory again in some French schools next week

PARIS – Face masks will again become compulsory from next week for French school kids in 39 regional departments where the COVID-19 virus has been ramping up, government spokesman Gabriel Attal said on Wednesday.

French health authorities reported 7,360 daily new COVID-19 infections on October 30, the first time the tally has topped 7,000 since Sept 21.

France’s cumulative total of new cases stood at 7,170,782 as of Nov 2, with the number of patients with COVID-19 in intensive care units reaching 1,091, a rise of 22 over 24 hours.

(Reporting by Dominique Vidalon; Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta)