- French nationals wishing to leave Wuhan (China) can be repatriated from the middle of the week to Paris.
- Upon their arrival, they will be confined to a place for an undetermined time.
- They will be placed in quarantine there for fourteen days, under the constant supervision of a medical team, in order to avoid any risk of spreading the coronavirus.
A growing coronavirus epidemic on the planet. The population of Wuhan and several large Chinese cities confined. And three cases declared in France, where there is growing fear of a spread which would escape the control of the health authorities. It is in this context that will be organized, mid-week, the repatriation of the French settled in Wuhan wishing to leave the epicenter of an epidemic which has not finished revealing its secrets. The government has thus announced the return of the French from Wuhan in the coming days, while six suspected cases are still under study in France.
How will expatriates be supported upon their arrival on the territory? Why are they all going to be quarantined? And what will be the procedure if one of them turns out to be carrying the virus?
Repatriation by direct flight
"In connection with the Ministries of the Interior, Health and the Armed Forces, we are in the process of implementing a return operation", declared Monday the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Yves Le Drian, by specifying that this evacuation would take place "a priori in the middle of the week". It was the Prime Minister, Edouard Philippe, who “asked to organize a repatriation by direct air route to France with the agreement of the Chinese authorities” for the French present in the region of Wuhan, epicenter of the epidemic and normally subject to a traffic ban, added the Minister of Health, Agnès Buzyn, after a meeting in Matignon.
"The French who wish to leave the city will be repatriated by direct flight from Wuhan," said the Directorate General of Health (DGS) at 20 minutes . Among the approximately 800 French people present in the Chinese city, those who wish to leave the center of the epidemic are invited to make themselves known to the general consulate of the sector. "Our teams in Wuhan are in the process of identifying our compatriots who wish to return," said the head of French diplomacy. An operation that could affect "a few tens to a few hundred" people, said the Minister of Health. Then, when the expatriates return to France and "throughout their transfer, they will be accompanied by a dedicated medical team, for the time being still being established," said the DGS.
A "fortnight" to avoid "any spread of the virus on the territory"
On their arrival on French soil, the French from Wuhan "will be directed to a reception place to be defined, where they will be confined for a fortnight," announced the DGS. Clearly, returnees will be placed in quarantine for 14 days. Why this delay? "This is to be sure to cover the entire incubation period of the virus," answers Professor Yazdan Yazdanpanah, head of the Infectious and Tropical Diseases Department at Bichat Hospital in Paris, to 20 Minutes . Between the time a person is exposed to the virus and the time they develop symptoms, it usually takes about seven days, but this period can, in rare cases, be eleven to twelve days. By opting for a quarantine of 14 days, we are here in a measure of maximum precaution which makes it possible to avoid missing a case which would develop quite late. So you can be sure that when the quarantine is lifted, so will the doubts. ”
During their quarantine, returnees will be placed under the continuous surveillance of a medical team which will monitor the development of their state of health. "This is essential, because the urgency here is to diagnose suspected cases and place them in solitary confinement to prevent any spread of the virus on the territory," insists Professor Yazdanpanah. Fever, joint and muscle pain, as well as severe respiratory signs - similar to pneumonia - are symptoms of the coronavirus to which the medical personnel who accompany them will be very attentive. But the disease can also present itself in the form of a simple cold, even without symptoms, in which case it probably means that the patient is less contagious, “moderates the specialist in infectious diseases. For the moment, the exact conditions of this quarantine are still unknown. But if it goes smoothly, it should be lifted after the 14 days scheduled.
A well-established protocol
And what will happen if, among the nationals returned from Wuhan, one of them develops the symptoms of coronavirus? "He will be exfiltrated from the place of containment and transferred to one of the reference hospitals, among which is our service at Bichat hospital," says Professor Yazdanpanah. But even in this case, it would not necessarily mean that it is the Chinese coronavirus. It could just be a classic flu. This is why diagnostic tests must be carried out ”. Thus, if a case seems suspect, "biological samples will be sent to the National Reference Center for respiratory infection viruses (CNR) - including influenza - to the Institut Pasteur, which has developed a screening test for this coronavirus ", Continues the infectious disease doctor.
While three cases of coronavirus are confirmed on the territory, the protocol established for their management is well established. "If the test confirms the diagnosis, the patient is hospitalized in an area specially provided for this purpose, where everything is in place to contain the virus and avoid any contamination," reassures Professor Yazdanpanah, whose service welcomes two of these three people. "They benefited from a very good care, he informs, and for the moment, they are doing very well".
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- Quarantine
- China
- coronavirus
- Health