
France’s Health Minister Olivier Veran has cautioned the public against using home-made fabric face masks as they don’t "offer all the necessary guarantees."
Veran was reiterating a warning previously issued by France's health council.
"All masks which have a filtering power greater than 90% are valid, that includes almost all surgical masks for the general public," he said.
"Artisan masks that you make at home, with the best intentions in the world, respecting the official advice, do not necessarily offer all the necessary guarantees."
Veran's remarks came in an interview with France Inter radio on Tuesday, in which he described the country's Covid-19 infection rates as "high but stable" with roughly 20,000 new cases a day over the past several weeks.
Veran told the broadcaster that the 6 p.m. curfew currently in place was having an effect, but that he was still very concerned by the spread of the more transmissible Covid-19 variant first identified in the UK. France has registered 200 to 300 new cases of the variant a day.
The minister was also asked about France's vaccination rollout for people over 75 – which kicked off on Monday -- amid complaints that many have been unable to make appointments.
He said the booking process is being streamlined, and added that: "As more doses become available, so too will appointments."
There are over 900 vaccination centers in France, and more than two million appointments have been made for the first and second dose of the vaccine, according to Veran.