Masks in all workplaces now mandatory in France

France is now mandating masks in all workplaces, from the Paris business district to factories in the provinces, as it tries to contain growing virus infections but avoid shutting down the economy.

As of Sept. 1, masks will also be required in all shared, enclosed workspaces, including open-plan or shared offices, corridors, meeting rooms, and changing rooms.

They can only be removed when someone is alone in an individual office.

Tuesday's announcement by the labour ministry makes France one of relatively few countries in the world that is universally requiring workers to wear masks on the job.

Some companies anticipated the government's announcement and already implemented this measure.

Yoopies, a French start-up offering childcare services, has started the practice as of Aug. 17, after five months of remote work.

The workplace requirements will come into effect September, when workers around France come back from summer holidays.

The move comes after France's daily infection count jumped past 3,000 over the weekend, for the first time since May.

About a quarter of the 1,013 virus clusters that have emerged since France ended its strict virus lockdown in May were traced to workplaces, according to the national health agency.

Unions have pushed for more virus protections, and workers at the Louvre Museum, Amazon France and other sites walked off the job earlier this year out of concern that their employers were not doing enough to protect them.

France currently has among the highest infection rates in Europe.