ANALYSIS
Over 130 cases of Covid-19 coronavirus have been reported in Italy, making it the country most affected by the epidemic in Europe. The vast majority of patients are concentrated in the north of the country, where measures to barrier the virus are multiplying: 11 cities have been placed in quarantine, and several cultural and sporting events canceled. A situation that also worries in France, where the new Minister of Health indicated that the authorities were preparing for a possible epidemic, in particular by distributing additional diagnostic tests to laboratories. Europe 1 takes stock.
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A new course in the epidemic
"The multiplication of households abroad, likely to spread to France, makes the risk of epidemic much greater", points out to Europe 1 Arnaud Fontanet, director of the department of global health at the Pasteur Institute . Until now, the epidemic was mainly localized in Southeast Asia, but now new niches appear. Besides Italy, Iran has around 40 cases, including eight deaths, the largest number of deaths outside of China.
For Arnaud Fontanet, the coronavirus epidemic is entering a new phase, that of "community transmission", which makes its containment more complex. "In the various homes, we can no longer connect patients with a trip to China or contact with an already affected person."
No special precautions in transport
For France, however, which still has no identified focus of the epidemic, the threat continues to come from abroad. At this stage, no special precautions have yet been taken in public transport. "Air France normally operates all of its flights to and from Italy," said an airline spokesperson. At Paris Airport: "we are applying the recommendations of the Ministry of Health", or "the recommendations on Italy have not been modified for the moment to our knowledge".
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In Roissy, posters are distributed to travelers from Italy, and medical teams are present to inform, reassure and even take the temperature of passengers who want it. However, no specific device is planned at Orly, where there is no direct flight to Italy. For its part, the SNCF has been broadcasting messages for a few days in major French stations calling travelers to contact the 15th in the event of illness. The railway company has not yet deployed any specific device regarding Italy, said a spokesperson.
The authorities on the alert
France is preparing for a possible "epidemic" of the new coronavirus, recognized Olivier Véran, the Minister of Health, in an interview with Parisien Dimanche , estimating "very probable" the possibility of new cases on the territory. A press point on the coronavirus is scheduled at the Ministry of Health Sunday evening. In the meantime, the routing of new tests in the laboratories should make it possible to reach a capacity of several thousand diagnoses per day throughout the territory, against 400 currently.
While Italy is increasing quarantine, is France able to take similar decisions, and could it apply it to a very large agglomeration like Paris? "We must above all not give in to panic, but we must not be naive either. The great epidemic, whether it is the coronavirus or other, we must prepare for it", replied Sunday morning, at the microphone du Grand Rendez-vous on Europe 1, Cédric Villani, Member of Parliament for Essonne and candidate for municipal elections in the capital.