To limit the spread of the coronavirus COVID-19, the mayor of Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, Éric Fournier, signed a decree which imposes the wearing of face masks in the pedestrian and busiest areas of Chamonix.
The municipal decree was signed on 3 August 2020 in the morning, and it imposes wearing face masks in areas of Chamonix where tourist traffic is high.
This decree constitutes a preventive measure, as "neither Chamonix nor its valley has yet seen any sign of local worsening of the health situation: neither cluster nor multiplication of positive tests", declared mayor Éric Fournier.
The areas and street in which wearing a face mask is mandatory are: the pedestrian areas, the square of Montenvers, the place du Mont-Blanc on market days (every Saturday), the rue des Moulins, the rue du Docteur Paccard, the rue Joseph Vallot, the quays d'Arve, the avenue Michel Croz, avenue de l'Aiguille du Midi, the parvis de Aiguille du Midi, avenue Ravanel le Rouge, as well as any public space welcoming flea markets and garage sales.
Wearing a face mask is Chamonix centre is mandatory until 31 August 2020, the end of the valley's peak summer attendance.
According to a statement from Chamonix town hall, "this measure should help reassure the community, given the tourist influx observed in recent days in the centre of Chamonix, which de facto compromises compliance with the rules of physical distancing".
The municipality specifies that 99.9% of the Chamonix valley territory remains accessible without a mask: large natural spaces and less frequented streets.
Sources @Radio Mont-Blanc, Le Dauphine
