Court strikes down outdoor mask mandate

RT.com
14 Jan 2022, 11:42 GMT+10

A French tribunal said a regional masking requirement infringes on personal freedom

An outdoor mask mandate in France's Paris region has been struck down by a judge, who called the rule a major violation of citizens? liberties just two weeks after it was reimposed.

The Paris Administrative Tribunal ruled against the masking policy on Thursday, according to AFP, rejecting the mandate as "an excessive, disproportionate and inappropriate infringement ... of personal freedom." The ruling applies not only to the city of Paris and its 2.1 million residents, but to seven other departments in the broader Paris region, or some 12 million people in total.

The outdoor mask rule was struck down less than a month after officials revived it in late December, citing the rapid spread of the Omicron variant, which has helped to drive a spike in Covid-19 cases across Paris in recent days. Though all of France has experienced a similar surge, Paris has seen its infections grow to some 3,899 infections per 100,000 residents over the last seven days, according to Reuters, compared to 3,002 per 100,000 for the whole country.

Though local officials have yet to respond to the ruling, Florian Philippot - a vocal critic of the government's pandemic policies who chairs the right-wing Patriot Party - cheered the decision in a tweet later on Thursday, saying "Live free" and "live happily!"

Paris was not the only region to step up it's Covid measures in the face of Omicron, with France as a whole recently imposing an indoor masking requirement for children aged 6 and up, ending a previous exemption for the younger age group.

(RT.com)

Watch latest videos

News RELEASES

Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Greek Herald.

More Information

null in null

International Business

Section

Sources: Meta won’t alter data model, faces fresh EU charges

BRUSSELS, Belgium: Meta is holding firm on its controversial pay-or-consent model, a move that could lead to fresh antitrust charges...

Huawei eyes new buyers for AI chips amid U.S. export curbs

SHENZHEN, China: As global chip competition intensifies, Huawei Technologies is exploring new markets in the Middle East and Southeast...

U.S. food prices at risk as Brazil tariff hits key imports

LONDON/NEW YORK CITY: American grocery bills may be headed higher as coffee and orange juice prices face upward pressure from new tariffs...

Filmmaker joins biotech effort to bring back extinct giant bird

WASHINGTON, D.C.: Filmmaker Peter Jackson's lifelong fascination with the extinct giant New Zealand flightless bird called the moa...

PwC: Copper shortages may disrupt 32 percent of chip output by 2035

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands: Some 32 percent of global semiconductor production could face climate change-related copper supply disruptions...

Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal launches capacity-building initiatives worth Rs 276 Crore at Visakhapatnam Port

New Delhi [India], July 14 (ANI): Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal launched multiple Capacity Building...

Mediterranean

Section

Logistics, supply chain infrastructure, foreign investment feature as key avenues of discussion during MP CM Yadav's UAE visit

Dubai [UAE], July 14 (ANI): Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav held wideranging interactions with industry experts for bringing...