The government has decided to change social distancing, so far from one meter, it will drop to two meters.

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Tolga AKMEN / AFP

  • The circulation in France of the English variant, which makes the coronavirus more contagious, is forcing the government to take additional measures to avoid an epidemic outbreak.

  • Following the recommendations of the High Council for Public Health, the authorities have just widened social distancing, which goes from 1 to 2 meters.

  • A change that should have consequences, particularly on contact tracing.

Avoid the English scenario.

While the United Kingdom is suffering an epidemic outbreak of Covid-19 linked to the higher circulation of the British variant, the arrival in France of this new strain worries the authorities.

With clusters of this variant identified all over the country, they fear that it will lead to a new wave out of control.

So, more than ever, there is no question of slacking off on barrier gestures.

With an English variant which makes the virus 50 to 74% more contagious, and which would be "associated with higher mortality", according to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the government now advises against wearing homemade fabric masks and intends to modify the social distancing rules, following the recommendations of the High Council for Public Health (HCSP).

Thus, the safety distance below which one is considered a contact case when not wearing a mask, previously established at one meter, will increase to two meters.

The decree in which these provisions appear, as well as the opinion of the HCSP on which it is based, was to be published this Friday, specifies the Ministry of Health.

"It's a race against time," the Minister of Health, Olivier Véran, declared Thursday evening on TF1.

But what consequences will this change have?

Does this distance of two meters risk complicating contact tracing?

Today, any person who has found themselves without a mask within one meter of a Covid-19 patient, or within two meters of him for more than fifteen minutes, is considered a contact case.

This new extended distance to two meters should therefore increase the number of people considered as contact cases.

"It will have consequences in the way Health Insurance makes contact tracing", with isolation measures to the key, we commented to the Ministry of Health.

However, more contact cases potentially means more people to contact, which would take more time.

And more people to be screened, with a risk of laboratory congestion.

Ultimately, the effectiveness of the contact tracing system could be affected.

What consequences in public places?

More space between individuals, this raises the question of the reception gauge in public places.

Thus, in shops, the maximum number of people accommodated is calculated on the basis of one customer for 8m².

With a distance increased to two meters, this gauge could be revised downwards.

“The gauge is a point that has been discussed in recent days with the ministry responsible for SMEs.

But for the time being, nothing has been stopped, so we are staying at the current level, ”responds to 

20 Minutes 

the Alliance du commerce, which brings together department stores and clothing brands.

Just days after the sales launch, a lowered gauge would mean even fewer customers, and therefore less turnover.

"We are continuing the activity and we are trying to achieve the best sales, in this particular period of curfew, while fearing a bit of another turn of the screw," indicates the Alliance du commerce.

And such a step would be seen as yet another blow.

“But traders are ready to do anything to maintain a minimum of activity and turnover.

We will continue to adapt to what is required of us, but we will remain very active in the dialogue conducted with the ministry ”.

Another place, another problem.

In public transport, the day after the first deconfinement, the resumption of traffic was accompanied by measures intended to ensure respect for social distancing, with marking on the ground and condemned seats.

But from August, the RATP was backtracking.

"From now on, only the wearing of a mask is compulsory even if physical distancing is recommended when it is applicable", communicated the Paris transport authority, ensuring that all trains would be disinfected daily.

So, if the physical distance of one meter was already difficult to respect, its revision to two meters should not be followed by more effects.

While waiting for a stronger turn of the screw?

For now, the government is sticking to the general curfew at 6 p.m.

And if he sets up this distance to 2 meters, he still refuses to decree a third confinement.

But if the country were to experience an out-of-control epidemic, it would have no choice but to introduce additional restrictions.

"All the data that we have on the circulation of the English variant in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and while this variant now represents 1.4% of Covid-19 contaminations in France, show that it will become dominant fairly quickly in France because of its higher contagiousness, said Thursday Vittoria Colizza, specialist in epidemic modeling and research director at Inserm.

We can expect a third wave in the coming weeks, ”she says.

Hence the importance of "acting quickly", according to the modeling specialist.

Quick and strong.

"We know that the more decisive and quickly implemented the measures, the more time we save on the epidemic."

So, faced with the threat of the English variant, if the contaminations and daily hospitalizations increase further, Olivier Véran does not rule out resorting to confinement, for the third time, as he indicated this Thursday evening.

Thus, "if we see [that the English variant] continues to progress, it will unfortunately be necessary to quickly do what the English and the Irish did", namely strict confinement, warned Arnaud Fontanet, epidemiologist at the Institut Pasteur and member. of the Scientific Council.

By respecting in addition, during the "essential" outings, two meters distance.

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