FRANCE: New categories of masks for non-sanitary use
The French government and the National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products (ANSM), with the support of the National French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES), have defined two new categories of masks for non-sanitary use:
1. Individual filter masks for professionals in contact with the public: The use of these filter masks is intended for populations that receive the individuals within the framework of their professional activities. They have properties to filter emitted particles of three microns compatible when used in this way.
2. Collective protection filter masks to protect an entire group (without contact with the public): These filter masks are not suited for medical use but intended for individuals having occasional contact with other people in a professional setting. The aim is to collectively protect a group of individuals who need to wear masks (also of a different category) because their situation or working conditions require it (company, service, etc.). Their filtration capability of up to three microns brings complementary protection with protective gestures.
The use of these masks is part of the strict application of containment measures, work organization measures and protective gestures.
A call for proposals has been launched by the Directorate General of Companies of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, in connection with the Strategic Committee for Fashion and Luxury Goods of the National Industry Council, the Euramaterials and Techtera clusters, the Union of Textile Industries (UIT), the French Fashion and Apparel Union (UFIMH) and the French Textile and Clothing Institute, intended for companies ready to offer solutions to increase national production capacity.
The CSF platform, through its group of professionals, offers a place for discussion on materials and a space for networking between manufacturers of materials and stakeholders in the textile industry. It also allows exchanges on good practices in the manufacturing of alternative masks for non-sanitary use. Manufacturers are encouraged to register, enter and keep up-to-date their contact information and production capabilities.
Further information can be found here (in French). As reported, the Spanish Ministry has adopted this regulation on masks.
