The French government has announced it will require everyone aged six and older to wear masks in indoor areas amid the spread of the Omicron COVID-19 variant, which marks the fifth wave of the coronavirus pandemic in the country.
Previously, children aged 11 and above were required to wear masks but the government has lowered the age to avoid shutting down schools. Classes resumed on Monday.
The new requirement comes after outdoor masking became mandatory in Paris on Dec. 31 for everyone over age 11, except for drivers in vehicles, and people on bicycles and scooters. Lyon also re-imposed an outdoor mask mandate.
COVID-19 has been confirmed in at least 123,000 people who died in France.
On the first day of the new year, France registered 219,126 new infections, down only slightly from the daily record of 232,200 noted on the last day of 2021.
