Is the vaccination campaign eventually to enable us to return to “normal life”? This past April 25, the Haut Conseil de la Santé Publique (HCSP) issued a report giving us a little bit of hope.
The HCSP decided to adapt health guidelines a bit to people who have been given two doses of vaccine, and therefore who are immunized to the virus. The health authority allows people vaccinated to ditch facemask – as long as they are in a private family or friendly circle and as long as they still comply with the other guidelines such as social distancing and frequent hand washing.
The report reads that “in a private family or friendly circle in closed place, people reunited [can] not wear a facemask if they have all been given complete vaccination scheme and on the condition they comply with the other health guidelines: hand hygiene, distance between people, airing, and limiting to 6 the number of people. This recommendation does not apply as soon as one of the members presents a severe infection risk (age, comorbidity). People gathered must keep on complying with all health guidelines, facemask-wearing included when one of them has not been able to be given a full vaccination protocol yet”.
Facemask-wearing should continue as part of a group situation and outdoor open places.
Despite this detailed easing of the health protocol, the Haut Conseil de la Santé Publique remains tough as for the importance to remain cautious and still complying with health guidelines. The Health authority invites anyone vaccinated or not to be very careful because the health situation is still preoccupying, hospitals being overwhelmed and the incidence rate still very high.
The HCSP yet gives us some hope: if the vaccination campaign improves and people still comply with health guidelines, we could see “progressive recovery of a social and economic life in the second half of 2021”, namely starting from this summer. France is therefore to soon follow the U.S. where facemasks are no longer compulsory for people fully vaccinated.
