Carole Ferry, edited by Solène Delinger 6:33 am, December 27, 2021

The start of the 2022 school year promises to be particularly difficult for French companies.

The latter are preparing to idle because of the rapid spread of the Omicron variant, which infects more and more employees.

The milestone of 100,000 cases per day was also crossed in France on Christmas Day.

Something to worry about all the bosses ...

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The Scientific Council predicted it: the Omicron variant risks "disorganizing" French society in January.

While the milestone of 100,000 cases per day was crossed in France on December 25, French companies are preparing for a considerable drop in their activity in January. 

Sanitary protocol reinforced at Michelin

This week, many companies are anyway in reduced activity because of the truce of the confectioners but, many are preparing for a very complicated back to school.

Michelin, for example, is already planning to strengthen its sanitary protocol in factories by reviewing the use of the canteen, with one person per table, but also that of the changing rooms and showers.

Shortage of raw materials and lack of employees

The idea is to reduce contact as much as possible.

Today, the industry is already facing a shortage of raw materials and labor, while order books are full.

To this are now added Covid patients and contact cases, forced to remain in isolation.

Yves Laqueille, general manager of the Groupement des Industries de la Métallurgie, hopes that companies will be able to adapt to this unprecedented situation.

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Decreased activity level due to contamination

"The feedback we have is that companies are especially very worried about the start of the January school year because the number of cases is significant," he told the microphone of Europe 1. "When a PMI 45 employees has six people who are not there, it starts to be a real problem ", he laments before qualifying:" But I think that many companies have become very flexible and will be able to cope ". Compliance with health rules within companies will be crucial. "On the other hand, if companies are overwhelmed by a large number of infected people, yes, that will call into question their level of activity", underlines Yves Laqueille on Europe 1. 

Food businesses, the transport sector and National Education will be faced with the same problem.

All say they do "more or less" in the face of the epidemic resumption but are preparing despite everything for a deterioration of the health situation.