Paris (AFP)

The end of confinement in France can only be envisaged when the "saturation" of resuscitation services has been "stopped" and that the "control measures" which will take over will be "operational", considers the Scientific Council in its latest opinion .

"Before considering an exit from confinement, the government will have to ensure that the objective" of "relieving French resuscitation services" is "achieved", "on the basis of epidemiological indicators", underlines the text transmitted the last week in government and released Tuesday evening.

"The healthcare teams will also have to benefit from a sufficient period to recover from the considerable effort provided (...) and the stocks of equipment, specific resuscitation treatments and protective equipment will have to be replenished", adds the opinion , the fifth since the establishment of this body on March 10, to guide public authorities in their strategy against the Covid-19 epidemic.

The members of the council, chaired by Jean-François Delfraissy, add two other criteria on which the exit from confinement "can be decided": "a reduction in the number of Covid-19 cases on the national territory" and "ensure that the elements of a post-containment strategy will be operational. "

"Ideally", the reduction in the number of patients "will have to be significant enough so that the detection of new cases in a systematic way becomes possible" in order to "early counter the resumption of the epidemic" by applying "quickly the control measures with the cases and their contacts. "

The 13 experts believe that the population's immunity to the coronavirus is currently "very probably less than 15%" and therefore cannot yet play a role in controlling the epidemic.

As for the elements necessary for post-containment, pending possible "effective treatments against the virus", it is "the availability of material protections (hydro-alcoholic gels, masks ...)," diagnostic capabilities rapid "infection review with enhanced epidemiological surveillance and" new digital tools to enhance the effectiveness of health control of the epidemic ".

This also presupposes that the authorities have defined the "social distancing measures which will be maintained" after confinement, the "methods of isolating cases and their contacts", a "border control policy" and "the protection of persons vulnerable "or at risk" because of their housing situation (migrants, prisons, people in institutions) ".

These measures will be "more easily bearable and less costly for society" than confinement but "will nevertheless remain strong", warns the Scientific Council, which insists that in parallel with these reflections, the current "priority" remains "the continuation of reinforced confinement over time ".

In force since March 17, the confinement will "probably" be extended beyond April 15, said Prime Minister Edouard Philippe.

As of March 24, the scientific council estimated that it would last "probably at least six weeks".

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