- In France, the containment established on March 17 to contain the coronavirus epidemic will be lifted from May 11.
- In certain families, the generations separated by confinement will therefore be able to move to meet again. But many Internet users, worried by the high proportion of elderly people among the victims of Covid-19, are divided on possible reunion.
- Some plan to see their grandpas and grandmas again, taking precautions, out of an urgent need to find them and to break the isolation that is sometimes badly experienced by seniors. Others do not prefer, for fear of contaminating them. Their elders are just as divided on the risks they run by deconfining themselves from a certain age.
“It's immensely difficult to make a choice. I am torn between what my heart dictates and my reason ”. Nathalie, 45, sums up the dilemma many French people face: after several weeks without seeing each other, because of confinement, will we be able to see her grandparents without fear after May 11? Sharing moments with your grandchildren again? 20 Minutes interviewed you, young and old, and you were close to 200 to answer us.
The government is due to present its decontainment plan next week. When he announced a gradual lifting of confinement, Emmanuel Macron specified that the elderly should, "for their protection [...], remain, even after May 11, confined, at least initially." An announcement motivated by the heavy toll of deaths related to Covid-19 among seniors. "The median age of death observed is 84," said Jérôme Salomon, director general of health, on Tuesday. This recommendation should not however be mandatory in order not to "discriminate" citizens, has since clarified the Elysee. But how can the elderly be protected after confinement? At all ages, readers of 20 Minutes are very divided.
Stay confined, to preserve your health
On the seniors' side, some prefer to avoid family reunions. "I will still deprive myself of my grandchildren. They don't want it, but I'm afraid of the disease, ”says Henry, 72. Like him, Odette "will wait for better days to see" his loved ones. To fill the gap, Dominique and his wife will console themselves with “telephone, SMS, MMS, Skype” to communicate with their grandchildren, and Jacques, 73, “will use FaceTime, while waiting for treatment to be available to resume. a normal life ".
Especially since some are part, beyond their age, of the categories considered to be “at risk” against coronavirus. "I am a type 2 diabetic. It would be dangerous for me to get confused, I could be contaminated and it would then require significant means to treat me, while I can avoid it by remaining confined," said Christian, 69 years old. "It is better for the health system to be available to the lifeblood of the country." Christiane, 75, will also prioritize her health. “I prefer to be confined in my apartment than in my coffin. My family, because they love me, will understand this. ” In contrast, 67-year-old Annie is "angry" with the authorities recommending confinement for the elderly. "I don't want to be infantilized or treated like an outcast!" "
"I find it hard to refuse them to see their granddaughters"
This precautionary principle is not the preserve of the elderly. Many young people also want to avoid contact with "their old people". Alexandra, a 25-year-old nurse, and Céline, a 42-year-old teacher, feel too exposed to the virus due to their professional activity, and will therefore refrain from seeing their elderly relatives again. Nadine, 20, will advise her 74-year-old grandmother to "restrict her movements".
Anne anticipates a complicated discussion. “I'm afraid my parents are very (too) tempted to ask to see my daughters. However they are 80 years old and I find that too imprudent. A single oversight of barrier gesture and that would be the insured disaster. But I find it hard to refuse them to see their granddaughters, it would perhaps be a subject of dispute ”, worries this forties.
Reunion with barrier gestures, or on condition of screening
Some will only review their ancestors with multiple precautions. For Nathalie, it will depend on whether she can continue to telework or not. "If I go back to the office, I will have to take transportation, and expose myself to the coronavirus," worries this Ile-de-France woman. "So I will not be able to see my father, widowed, 80 years old, because I would potentially endanger him," she laments.
"We will not take each other in our arms, we will have a coffee far from each other, we will wash our hands well", list Isa *, 31, who has not seen her grandparents since January . "I'm afraid of contaminating them, but hearing them depress on the phone is hard," she continues. “They asked me to hear their desires too. They are towards the end of their life, what is the use of living still if it is to stay alone in one's corner? Alice, 31, will apply the choice of her 91-year-old grandmother. "I think she would rather take the risk of seeing her family than die alone."
To be sure not to be carriers of the virus, certain Net surfers pose the condition of the screening. Alphonsine, 30, wants to be tested before seeing her grandparents again. At 67, Dominique too would like her son, daughter-in-law and their child to be tested. “It's the only solution so that we can meet again. I don't even dare imagine that a member of my family is responsible for my death, it would be unbearable for them. "
Review before going back to school or office
Others will use the “time window” of May 11 to take advantage of it and have a family reunion, before stopping contact with the seniors again. "I have just had a baby and her grandparents have not yet been able to see her," regrets Françoise. “We plan to see our parents again after the confinement ends. It is estimated that this is when the risk will be lowest for them, since we have been confined for two months. It's hard not to see them at this time when we would have lots of things to share with them. ”
"We miss our children and grandchildren very much, so we are going to find ourselves on May 10 so that we can have lots of hugs and kisses," rejoices Chantal, 58, and "at risk" because of her health problems. “Since they have all respected confinement since March 17, this is not risky. But then they go back to the office or to school. So we will go back to confinement, and wait… for treatment before we see each other again ”.
"I am old and I would like to enjoy life before it is too late"
The need to see your family overcomes (a little) the fear of the virus for some Internet users. “It is very difficult for my grandmother, she is very sad, eats and sleeps little. So I prefer to take the risk, and go to see her, rather than dying alone of sorrow, ”testifies Delphine. For the same reasons, Nicolas, 43, will visit his 87-year-old grandmother, "confined to her residence for the elderly, in almost prison conditions".
As for seniors, many of them tell us their suffering in the face of this forced isolation. Marcelle, widowed for three months, had invested in volunteering in a toy library. “It did me a lot of moral good. But since confinement, I don't see anyone anymore. I miss my children and grandchildren, this second month is very hard. I am no longer motivated, ”blows the sixties. Some therefore want to break their confinement, like Pierrette, 70 years old. "I do not intend to stay locked up after May 11, because I am old and I would like to enjoy life before it is too late. "
* At his request, the first name has been changed.
Society
Coronavirus: Single-parent families and isolated elderly people hit hard by confinement according to INSEE
Society
Coronavirus: “Right of access” in nursing homes under “extremely limited” conditions, as of this Monday, announces Olivier Véran
- The elderly
- Covid 19
- Society
- Confinement
- Coronavirus
- Deconfinement
- Family
- Senior