Forcing joggers to wear masks is 'nonsensical', say French doctors

Doctors say it is “nonsensical” for joggers to be compelled to wear face masks in Nice, Lille and dozens of other French towns that have now made masks mandatory outdoors.

Face masks lose their protective value when soaked in sweat, which happens quickly while running, said Stéphane Gayet, an infectious diseases specialist at a major teaching hospital in the eastern city of Strasbourg.

“When you’re breathing heavily, the mask gets into your mouth and you feel uncomfortable. If you’re practicing a relatively intense physical activity, you risk having trouble getting enough oxygen.”

Dr Gayet added: “Sweat is charged with organic matter that will soil the mask. Its filtering capacity will be altered and it will be less effective and more uncomfortable.” Requiring joggers to wear masks is “nonsense”, he said.

Bérénice Léoutre-Falmagne, a sports doctor, said: “Face masks must be changed frequently during physical exertion to preserve the benefits, otherwise people may feel protected when in fact they’re not.”

Physical distancing and staggering sports activities over the day would be more effective, many doctors suggest.

“It would be better to have areas where people exercising could observe distancing,” Dr Léoutre-Falmagne suggested. "It doesn’t make a lot of sense to make face-masks compulsory during exercise or sporting activities.”

Doctors also pointed out that the risk of transmitting Covid-19 is much greater indoors, yet gyms are exempt from a nationwide rule that masks must be worn in indoor public spaces.

In Nice, where wearing face masks is now compulsory outdoors in many parts of the city, many people were observed without masks on Tuesday along the beachfront Promenade des Anglais and on the beach itself, despite risking a fine of €135 (£122).

Lucette and Magali, two holidaymakers, said they would leave Nice early and go to nearby Cannes or Antibes, where masks are not compulsory outdoors.

The French government has given local officials the power to make face masks mandatory in outdoor public spaces as the country battles a resurgence of Covid-19.

The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, wants to introduce such measures in the city, she said on Tuesday.  They would be targeted at certain areas such as shopping streets, parks, outdoor markets and anywhere that people have to queue.