Macron is modeling a French-themed face mask so people can wear it as an act of national pride when the country eases its coronavirus lockdown

• French President Emmanuel Macron has been seen sporting a French-themed, French-made cloth mask, which comes complete with the colors of the national flag.
• The dark blue cloth mask, produced by French knitwear manufacturer Chanteclair, sells for 4.92 euros ($5.34) and is already available in supermarkets across the country.
• Macron is trying to make wearing the face mask an act of national pride.
• Its release comes as the country readies to lift parts of its lockdown on May 11. Schools, public transport, and some small businesses are set to reopen.
• The government had announced on April 28 that wearing a face mask will become compulsory on all public transport and in secondary schools once the lockdown restrictions are lifted.
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French President Emmanuel Macron is trying to make wearing face masks an act of national pride.

During a Tuesday visit to an elementary school outside Paris, the president debuted a dark blue mask, emblazoned with tiny blue, white, and red stripes on the left side. Blue, white, and red are the colors of the French national flag.

The president even paired a dark blue suit to complement the face mask.

The face covering was designed specifically to protect people from contracting the novel coronavirus as the country starts to reopen from May 11. The country plans to begin with some schools, small businesses, and all public transport links.

According to the French presidency, it was produced by French knitwear manufacturer Chanteclair and sells for 4.92 euros ($5.34), the Associated Press (AP) reported.

It went on sale in French supermarkets this week, alongside a variety of other paper and cloth masks.

It has also already been tested by the French military for breathability and effectiveness in filtering out particles.

The French government has been criticized for its changing stance on face masks.

In the early stages of the European outbreak — around early March — the French government confiscated industrial-grade masks, reserving them for health workers only, the AP reported.

On March 1, French Health Minister Olivier Véran also told a news conference that many homemade masks were "useless" because they neither conform to technical specifications nor offer real protection from the virus.

But as the outbreak worsened and the country experienced a growing shortage in these masks, the government then urged the public to start making masks at home, the AP said.

And on April 28, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said that wearing masks would become compulsory on all forms of public transport and secondary schools once the lockdown is lifted, the BBC reported.

Macron is not the only public figure seen wearing a stylish face mask to match with his outfit.

Slovakian President Zuzana Caputova was spotted wearing a pink mask to match her outfit at the new prime minister's swearing-in ceremony on March 21.

The Bavarian governor in Germany, Markus Söder, also wore a face mask to several meetings that resembled the blue and white print of his state flag.

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