As France emerges from its harsh COVID-19 lockdown, face masks are now compulsory in many public spaces.
But the country's controversial "burqa ban" remains in place, meaning women who wear Islamic garb can still be fined.
Rights groups have slammed the French government for what they claim is a discrepancy.
"Can the Islamophobia be any more transparent? The French government mandates masks but still bans the burqua," executive director of Human Rights Watch Kenneth Roth tweeted.
"Governments (and others) are wrong to insist that women wear burquas. They are also wrong to preclude them from wearing burquas. The principle is that everyone should be free to choose how he or she dresses, especially when in their eyes it has religious significance," he said.
France tentatively lifted its eight-week lockdown on Monday, allowing non-essential shops, factories and schools to reopen.
A group of women wear niqabs. Source: Getty
This came with new rules on masks, which are now compulsory in high schools and on public transportation. Businesses can also refuse service to customers who do not wear masks.
"The virus is still here. We have not beaten it, just slowed it down," President Emmanuel Macron said before restrictions were lifted.
"We are entering a new phase. If we are all collectively responsible, I'm sure we'll manage it and I want to give this glimmer of hope."
In 2010, the French government banned full face-covering garments like the niqab and burqa in public spaces - a move it said would protect gender equality and improve social cohesion.
"The full veil is not welcome in France because it runs contrary to our values and contrary to the idea we have of a woman's dignity," then-president Nicolas Sarkozy said at the time.
The law triggered protests and in 2018, the UN Human Rights Committee said it "violated" the rights of women.
The coronavirus has so far claimed more than 26,000 lives in France.
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