Branville (France) (AFP)
About "thirty" French returnees from China will arrive Friday in a holiday center in Branville, in Calvados, where we will make sure that they are not infected by the coronavirus, announced on Thursday the prefect Philippe Court during a press conference.
The returnees, "probably 34", will be welcomed in this village called "Normandy Garden", said the prefect. But, "here on site, for 14 days there will only be French nationals who are asymptomatic, whom we will monitor to see if they declare the slightest symptom, so that we can take charge of them and hospitalize them" , said Christine Gardel, director of the Regional Health Agency (ARS) of Normandy.
The returnees will undergo a medical check-up before boarding the plane and will then travel with a medical team responsible for detecting any symptoms during the flight.
Travelers who report symptoms will be taken care of by the Samu 75 when they get off the plane, according to Ms. Gardel.
Seventy-seven out of 330 cottages have been privatized in order to accommodate returnees in this 12-hectare Pierre & Vacances center, in the heart of the Pays d'Auge region, approximately 15 km from Deauville and Cabourg, with a capacity of reception of 1,500 people.
A barrier was installed between the privatized area and the part open to the public, noted an AFP journalist.
During their stay, returnees will be followed by a medical team, made up of doctors, a nurse, a pharmacist and a psychologist.
Their temperature will be taken twice a day, in order to monitor the possible appearance of the disease.
"These are people who are not sick and who are coming back for this 14-day quarantine phase," said Professor Renaud Verdon, head of the infectious and tropical diseases unit at the CHU de Caen.
In case of symptoms, "the person would be transferred to the Caen CHU where he would be placed in solitary confinement. The patient will stay for a minimum of 14 days in the hospital sector," he said.
"The university hospital has already organized for several weeks to be able to accommodate people who are suspected of being infected by Covid 19," added the doctor.
© 2020 AFP