Some French primary schools to stop requiring masks in classrooms

Primary schools in 47 French metropolitan departments will stop requiring facial coverings indoors due to lower COVID-19 transmission levels, Reuters reported on Thursday.

Starting Monday, primary schools that are situated in areas that have had at least five straight days of fewer than 50 coronavirus cases per 100,000 people will not be required to wear masks inside, the news outlet reported. 

The initiative was first announced last week by the French government, but the exact number of metropolitan departments that could adopt it was announced on Thursday, The Local reported.

The 47 affected metropolitan departments include Côte-d’Or in the Northeast, Haute-Loire in the West and ​​Vienne in the Southeast, according to The Local. Reuters noted that Paris and its nearby municipalities are not included. 

Older students, including those in high school, will still be required to wear facial coverings. 

The news comes as France has started to see a steady decline of COVID-19 cases. According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), the country saw over 5,400 cases on Thursday and more 5,800 the day prior. In comparison, confirmed COVID-19 cases had reached more than 30,000 on Aug. 12. 

According to data from Johns Hopkins University, 66 percent of the country has been fully vaccinated.

The reduced number of cases comes as the country has instituted a vaccine passport that allows businesses to know whether a person has either received a vaccine or has a negative COVID-19 test. Separately, health care workers were required to be vaccinated by Sept. 15 or face suspension.