Invited on Saturday from Europe 1, Professor Renaud Piarroux, epidemiologist and head of the parasitology service at Pitié-Salpêtrière, explained the right behaviors to adopt on Christmas Eve, to minimize the risk of transmission of Covid-19 in as part of a family New Year's Eve.

INTERVIEW

As Christmas approaches, restrictive measures against Covid-19 are multiplying in Europe to cope with a deteriorated health situation.

Italy has thus announced a new confinement, with the ban on all travel in the country and only one exit per day tolerated.

In France, on the other hand, the noose is loosening for the end-of-year holidays, with the establishment of a curfew that will be repealed during Christmas Eve, despite epidemic data that remain worrying. . 

"If we do, it's because there is social pressure," notes Saturday at the microphone of Europe noon Professor Renaud Piarroux, epidemiologist and head of the parasitology department at Pitié-Salpêtrière.

"We need to breathe a bit. But that still carries a lot of risks because our situation is not necessarily better than that of other European countries [...]. The number of new cases in Italy is even lower. than in France, "he points out.

"The problem, of course, is the travel and reunion linked to the Christmas holidays. There is a brewing which is taking place, which will intensify at Christmas Eve, but which already begins with the departures on vacation a large number of people ", continues this specialist.

The French will therefore have to redouble their attention in the coming days to prevent this period of sharing and reunion from serving as a springboard for an epidemic recovery.

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How to organize the Christmas Eve party to limit the risks?

To reduce the risk of contamination, Renaud Piarroux invites you to avoid gatherings of more than six, as the government has already recommended, but also to give up hugs, especially if you have not been able to limit your social interactions. ten to fifteen days before this reunion.

Around the Christmas table, "staying far enough from each other limits the risk of transmission".

"If the temperatures allow, it is better to ventilate as much as possible," he adds.

Our specialist also invites you to keep your mask outside of the meal.

Finally, leaving bottles of hydroalcoholic gel within easy reach will allow guests to spontaneously disinfect their hands several times during the evening. 

Stay alert, even after a negative test 

Having performed a screening test before Christmas should not invite relaxation, insists Renaud Piarroux.

"We understand that the tests were not 100% reliable. We can give you a negative test, when you are really contagious [...], and even if you are negative at some point, that does not does not mean that the next day you will not be positive, ”he concludes.