France authorities have begun lifting COVID-19 restrictions, including mandatory outdoor mask-wearing today, Wednesday, February 2, 2022, in the country’s bid to ease citizens’ daily lives.

The decision has brought about difference of opinions, following the surge in COVID-19 case infection in the previous month.

Limits to audience capacity for concert halls, sporting matches among other events have also been removed.

In the case of home-working, authorities have said it is no longer mandated, however, it is still recommended.

The move begins a two-part relaxation of curbs announced at the end of January 2022, despite the country’s hard-hitting record levels of daily cases last month (January) and comes as England and Denmark are also easing their restrictions.

France “will be able to lift most of the restrictions taken to curb the epidemic in February” thanks to the new vaccination pass, which replaced the health pass, Prime Minister, Jean Castex said in January.

Since last month, proof of inoculation records has been required for the new passes, needed to access everything from bars and restaurants to long-distance public transport.

Previously, the health pass could also be obtained with a recent negative COVID-19 test, a possibility the government used in its quest to convince more people to get COVID jabs.

The second stage of the curb-lifting will see nightclubs, shut since December, reopen from February 16, 2022, and standing areas will again be allowed at concerts, sporting events and bars.

Eating and drinking will also be permitted in stadiums, cinemas and public transport from thereof.

Paris has not made the easing of restrictions conditional on the progress of the health situation.

Authorities view the threat of the Omicron variant as limited and less dangerous than previous strains of the virus, even though it is more contagious.

“We have seen a weak reversal of the trend over the past few days, with fewer cases declared each day than seven days earlier.”
Government Spokesman, Gabriel Attal, said in an interview with the media

France COVID-19 Situation

An average of 322,256 cases were recorded over the previous seven days, according to the latest figures, compared with 366,179 a week ago.

Attal called it a “very encouraging signal” but said officials “remain cautious” because of a “very contagious” sub-variant of Omicron that appears to have delayed the peak of infections in other countries.

France, by far, has recorded over 19 million cases of COVID-19 since the virus broke globally, with 120 thousand deaths.

About the Omicron Variant

On November 24, 2021, South Africa told the World Health Organization (WHO) that amid a recent increase in COVID-19 cases, it had identified a new variant, which was later named omicron.

The omicron variant contains a high number of mutations, raising concerns that it could spread more easily than other variants of the coronavirus.

Following this was South Africa’s health minister, Joe Phaahla, who said the variant had been identified in South Africa, Botswana and a person who had travelled from South Africa to Hong Kong.

The WHO on November 26, 2021, labelled it a “variant of concern,” meaning it could be associated with an increase in transmissibility or virulence or a decrease in the effectiveness of vaccines.