Covid-19 health restrictions will no longer be required at French businesses starting on March 14, the same day the vaccine pass requirement is lifted and masks will no longer be required in indoor public places. Masks will remain compulsory on public transport.
"Businesses will resume normal rules," Minister of Labour Elisabeth Borne announced in an interview with LCI news aired on Tuesday.
Borne specified that it would be necessary “to continue to follow hygiene rules” such as washing hands, cleaning surfaces and ventilating the premises. But social distancing rules will be relaxed, as will rules for communal eating in company cafeterias.
As for teleworking, Borne said companies had already been given great latitude in making their own rules and that companies could continue to make these decisions internally.
A guide on measures to prevent the risks of Covid-19 contamination, which the minister has shared with unions and business associations, will be replacing the nationwide restrictions now applied. The document, which is 25 pages long, aims to "ensure the health and safety of employees" while freeing up the rules on businesses.
“In the current circumstances where the virus continues to circulate, employees who wish to do so will be able to continue to wear a mask, without the employer being able to oppose it,” the guide says.
The U2P business association, which represents 3 million artists, retailers and independent workers, called the easing of restrictions "the end of the tunnel".
"Good news! After two years of applying health restrictions at companies and mobilising professional organisations to support companies in the face of the crisis, here is the end of the tunnel," the group tweeted.
