Over 100 nudists have tested positive for the Chinese coronavirus after brazenly flouting social distancing and mask requirements at a famous ‘naturist’ resort on the French Mediterranean.
According to the regional health authority, the Cap d’Agde resort in the Hérault department near Montpellier recorded 38 positive tests on Monday of last week and another 57 on Wednesday.
A further 50 holidaymakers tested positive for the Wuhan virus after returning home from their nudist holiday, according to France 24.
The tests reportedly showed that infection rates among those who attended the nudist resort were around 30 per cent, compared to just 7 per cent of those tested in the surrounding areas.
Pierre Ricordeau, the director-general of the local health authority blamed the inability of the nudists to properly social distance for the “very worrying” outbreak.
“There are infections everywhere, including among people who are not libertines. The message is the same for everyone: wear a mask, wash your hands and practise social distancing, whether you are a libertine or not”, Ricordeau said.
The Cap d’Agde is one of Frances oldest and largest ‘naturist’ resorts, with an estimated 35,000 visitors every summer.
Following the outbreak, the government banned the gathering of more than ten people in the region and called on nudists who were planning to revel by the French sea to postpone their vacation plans.
“We are in an alarming situation, therefore we ask that all the people of the village be tested before leaving the place and going elsewhere,” a spokesman for the Hérault Prefecture said per The Sun.
“And we also ask all the people who wish to come to this naturist village to postpone their arrival,” the spokesperson added.
The local outbreak in Hérault comes as France reported nearly 5,000 coronavirus cases in one day, the largest spike since lockdown measures were introduced by President Macron in May.
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