Even after the containment relief planned for May 11, eighteen million people, considered to be at risk, will have to remain confined, warned the president of the Scientific Council, Jean-François Delfraissy, this Wednesday.
For these 18 million people, who risk "developing a serious form, we will continue confinement," he said, before the Senate Law Commission. "For how long, I don't know. In the meantime, maybe a preventive medicine, ”he added.
The question of the age of "seniors"
According to him, these 18 million people are people "of a certain age, of whom I am, above 65 or 70 years", people with long-term affections, as well as "young subjects with a pathology, but also obese ”.
For the rest of the population, the deconfinement announced by Emmanuel Macron for May 11 can only be done if a certain number of conditions are met, he said. "I am extremely clear: if we do not have the prerequisites we must remain confined" and "if we have to delay by a few days because we are not ready, we will have to delay by a few days", insisted the Pr Delfraissy.
Mandatory prerequisites
Among these "operational and technical prerequisites", he highlighted in particular the availability of a sufficient number of virus screening tests and the implementation of a contact tracking system for newly identified cases.
Despite the expected slowdown of the epidemic, estimates count on "10,000 or 15,000 new infections" per day from mid May or late May, he noted. To follow up on the contacts in these cases, he highlighted the deployment of a digital tool on a smartphone, in the pipeline.
Tracing application will not fix everything
But if "the fantasy of (South) Korea could suggest that with digital we will settle everything, the answer is no", he insisted, noting that in addition to a digital application, Seoul had used a “brigade of 20,000 people” to take care of newly infected people and trace contact cases.
In the prerequisites for deconfinement, there will also be "a real clear strategy announced to our fellow citizens", especially on very practical aspects such as what we do with new positive cases (should they be isolated with family or in rooms of 'dedicated hotels…).
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