A screening operation for young people from the Paca region is organized throughout the month of January -

Mathilde Ceilles / 20 Minutes

  • From this Monday, the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region is launching a screening campaign for the coronavirus in high schools and universities in the region.

  • A way to get a picture of the epidemic situation in the region the day after the end of the year holidays, in a tense context that is causing concern.

Alexander coughs and wipes his eyes.

"Whoa, it itches, it's horrible!"

The young Marseillais, a second student at the Ampère high school, has just undergone the first antigen test of his life, in a room of this establishment in the tenth arrondissement transformed into a screening center for the coronavirus.

Since Monday, and throughout the month of January, the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, the Regional Health Agency (ARS) and the rectorate have in fact been organizing a campaign in high schools and universities in the region. screening of pupils and students, the day after the end of year celebrations.

A device "unique in France", according to the president of the Paca region, Renaud Muselier, set up the day after an announcement by the Minister of National Education Jean-Michel Blanquer who promised to "deploy the tests even more strongly »In schools.

"A return to school at risk"

This return to school in the midst of the epidemic is indeed raising concerns, while several European countries have decided to abandon this return as a precaution.

"This operation is used to get a picture of the situation after the school holidays, to be able to anticipate clusters and thus avoid any propagation in schools," hopes Philippe de Mester, director of the Regional Health Agency of Paca.

It is a risky return to school, from an epidemic point of view, whether for the start of the school year like the rest.

All the populations had contacts during these holidays, and we will follow that closely.

"

If, in Marseille, the alarm has not yet been sounded, in the Hautes-Alpes and the Alpes-Maritimes, the epidemic situation is already worrying, to the point that the government has decided to advance the curfew to 6 pm in these territories last Saturday.

"Protect the grandparents"

"Everyone is anxiously awaiting the effects of the end-of-year celebrations, especially among high school students who we suppose have not all made a confined 31, recognizes Caroline Chevé, assistant academic secretary of Snes-Fsu Aix- Marseilles.

After that, it remains a way of communicating for the region, which leaves us a little wary.

But since the National Education is failing in the matter, for lack of thrush, we eat blackbirds ... "

“I am being tested to protect my grandparents, whom I see every other weekend,” says Alexandre, who says “I have hardly seen anyone these holidays, except two or three colleagues, and no party for the New Year's Eve ”.

"Me, my parents are at risk and asked me to do it," explains his comrade Julien.

After that, I didn't do much during my vacation, I'm more the type to stay and play video games in my room!

"

"We are going to carry out nearly 25,000 tests with volunteer high schools throughout the region," promises Renaud Muselier.

But for the time being, in the Ampère high school which acts as a test high school, there is no crowd in the screening center: despite an information campaign for parents during the school holidays, only about fifty students on the 700 of the establishment decided to volunteer to be tested on this return Monday.

All negative.

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  • Health

  • Marseilles

  • Covid 19

  • epidemic

  • Screening

  • Coronavirus

  • High school