The president of the Scientific Council in the courtyard of the Elysée, Jean-François Delfraissy.

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Jacques Witt / SIPA

Too little respected, too long ... The Scientific Council drew up, this Wednesday, a "report of failure" of the fortnight system to fight against the coronavirus, recommending "revising the French strategy".

"Today few people isolate themselves" and this "weakens our ability to control the chains of contamination" of the coronavirus, regretted Laëtitia Atlani, anthropologist and member of the Scientific Council.

Shorten to better make it accepted

This body responsible for advising the executive in its management of the epidemic last week gave the government a favorable opinion to shorten to seven days, against 14 currently, the period of isolation of people infected with the new coronavirus or having been in prolonged contact with an infected person.

The Minister of Health Olivier Véran had requested the opinion of the Scientific Council, considering that the period of 14 days was "too long" in view of current knowledge on the methods of contamination, and that a shorter period would be applied more by population.

The decision must be confirmed Friday during a defense council.

In its opinion, posted online Wednesday afternoon, the advisory body believes, however, that it will take more than the simple shortening of the fortnight to better gain acceptance.

"We can make several observations of failures" in the current system, said Laëtitia Atlani, first of all evoking "an increase in the refusal and non-compliance with isolation measures".

"You have to isolate yourself from signs of clinical suspicion"

While there is no "precise data available on the conditions and monitoring of the isolation of cases", a recent survey by the Directorate General of Health (DGS) with regional health agencies (ARS) "shows very clearly ”this lack of support from the population, according to the research director at the Institute for Research for Development (IRD).

The reasons given: “ignorance or refusal of the principle of isolation, in particular in asymptomatic patients”, “pressures linked to employment”, “the refusal of a binding device” or even the “fear of 'interference by state services in private life'.

The Scientific Council also deplores a lack of communication with the general public on the exact criteria for isolation and its modalities.

“Our fellow citizens have (…) the idea that they isolate themselves when they have a positive test.

It is almost too late: you have to isolate yourself (…) as soon as there are signs of clinical suspicion, (…) you must not wait for the result of the test.

The council also notes that the implementation of the isolation strategy did not benefit from precise specifications or a dedicated budget at the national level, making the organization and funding rest on local communities.

This resulted in "a very strong heterogeneity of the response according to the territories", observes Laëtitia Atlani.

Compensation for employees

This is one of the reasons for the “relative failure” of dedicated residences where people who cannot isolate themselves in their accommodation (no single room, etc.) were supposed to be placed in fortnight. Also, the scientific council recommends doing henceforth dedicated residences the exception, and favoring sheltering at home, "even if this implies the isolation of the whole family".

But at the same time, he believes that the "waiting period" for employees on sick leave for this reason, "a premium to compensate for loss of income for self-employed professions" and "a service of taking in charge at home of needs (food, health care, social workers, etc.) if necessary ”.

"Isolation does not prevent, when the activity allows it, to telework in the absence of symptoms", also specified Laëtitia Atlani.

Initially, the Scientific Council favors "relying on citizen support", by strengthening information on the protocol to be followed but without coercive measures to enforce this period of exclusion.

But "without excluding that if the health situation so necessitated, in particular in certain regions, one could pass (…) to a situation of constraint", warned Jean-François Delfraissy, president of the Scientific Council.

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