The option of targeted confinement of the elderly is resurfacing in the debate on the management of the health crisis.

But this is not a good strategy to fight against Covid-19, assures the microphone of Europe 1 the sociologist Serge Guérin, who recalls that the elderly "have been careful" since the start of the pandemic.

Should we re-define the elderly to overcome Covid-19?

In an article published in the journal

The Lancet

, five members of the Scientific Council, including its president Jean-François Delfraissy, ensure that today is the only solution to stem the spread of the epidemic.

But this idea, which had already been mentioned during the first wave in spring 2020 and then in January 2021, is not unanimous in society.

Invited from Europe 1 Sunday February 21, the sociologist Serge Guérin believes that this measure would amount to "infantilize" the elderly. 

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A confinement of this kind would be "unlivable"

"[This proposal] leaves me speechless," blurted Serge Guérin, also author of the book

 Will the War of Generations take place? 

at Calmann-Lévy.

"We are completely infantilizing: we are going to say what to do, as if the elderly had not been aware for a year that they had every interest in paying attention," laments the sociologist.

He also underlines that this age category "is generally very careful, like young people".

"We have a vision like that, which would come from above. Science or a few scientists would say, in the name of who knows what, that we must do like that, forgetting the philosophical questions, the moral questions and mental ", continues Serge Guérin, strongly opposed to this measure.

A provision which would be "unlivable", he pleads: "Let us imagine that there are two thirds of the French who go out and that the other third remains locked up ... But it is unlivable, including for the two thirds in question ! "

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"Why don't we bet that people are adults?"

"We are betting on a kind of global egoism", laments the sociologist.

"But no, there is no global egoism," he said, recalling that solidarity between the generations existed from the start of the health crisis, and even during periods of so-called "relaxation."

“Right before Christmas, people went in droves to get tested and it was a good idea to say, 'If I have a problem, I won't go to the grandparents. I will watch out for my parents. , to my friends… whatever their age, ”says Serge Guérin.

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"Why don't we make a bet that people are adults, whether they are young or whether they are older?"

he asks at the microphone of Europe 1. Also, points out Serge Guérin, the subject of targeted re-containment could be taken in the other direction, and target young people first.

"The circulation [of the virus] is not linked to the elderly. It is rather linked to the youngest, who are,

a priori

, the least affected," he recalls.

"So we could completely reverse the thing and say 'let's lock the young people up'. But [again], it's completely silly!", Concludes the sociologist.