August 19 coronavirus news

By Jessie Yeung, Adam Renton, Jack Guy, Ed Upright, Meg Wagner and Mike Hayes, CNN

Updated 12:00 a.m. ET, August 20, 2020

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11:20 p.m. ET, August 18, 2020

Fauci does not foresee a Covid-19 vaccine mandate in the United States

From CNN’s Amanda Watts

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, testifies before a House Subcommittee on the coronavirus crisis on July 31, in Washington, DC. Kevin Dietsch-Pool/Getty Images

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's leading infectious disease expert, says he does not foresee a Covid-19 vaccine mandate in the United States.

“I don't think you'll ever see a mandating of vaccine, particularly for the general public,” Fauci said on Tuesday during a Healthline.com town hall.
Fauci said everyone has the right to refuse a vaccine. “If someone refuses the vaccine in the general public, then there's nothing you can do about that. You cannot force someone to take a vaccine," he said.

America’s top infectious diseases doctor did say in some areas, like the medical sector, many health care workers are asked to vaccinate in order to have contact with patients.

“When you're in the medical sector, depending on the policy of a hospital, the hospital may say -- if you refuse to take a given vaccine, whether that's a hepatitis vaccine, or a flu vaccine or perhaps even the Covid vaccine, that you might not be able to have person-to-person contact with patients,” he explained.

10:53 p.m. ET, August 18, 2020

France will require face masks in offices starting September

From Eva Tapiero in Paris

People walk on Sainte-Catherine, a main shopping street in Bordeaux, France, where wearing a mask was compulsory as of Saturday. Mehdi Fedouach/AFP/Getty Images

France will make face coverings mandatory in enclosed shared office spaces starting September 1, Minister of Labor Elisabeth Borne announced Tuesday.

A ministry statement released later added that masks will not be compulsory in individual offices “as long as there is only one person present.”

This announcement comes after “an upsurge in the number of COVID-19 cases has been observed, as well as an increase in the number of clusters across the country,” the statement said.
“The professional environment is affected by this increase: the number of clusters currently being investigated is 268, including 60 in company settings,” the statement added.

Face masks became mandatory in public indoor spaces in late July. Several cities have also imposed the wearing of masks outdoors, such as Marseille and Paris, where it is now mandatory in central districts, major tourist spots and other crowded areas.