On a trip to Lozère on Friday, the Minister of Health Olivier Véran did not exclude the possibility of occasional isolation measures in nursing homes in the event of a cluster or a significant resurgence of the coronavirus epidemic.

Generalized confinement measures are not topical "neither in nursing homes, nor outside," Minister of Health Olivier Véran said on Friday in Lozère. However, he mentioned possible one-off isolation measures "to save the life" of the elderly, particularly affected by the new coronavirus.

"There can be no question today of reconfining the elderly in a generalized way when we do not even have 2% of the establishments which have declared a case of Covid", agrees on Europe 1 Saturday Florence Arnaiz-Maumé, delegate General of the National Union of Institutions for the Elderly (Synerpa). "We are more for a case-by-case policy," she adds.

>> LIVE - Coronavirus: follow the evolution of the situation Saturday August 22

Isolation "marks and has consequences"

Regarding the very strict confinement of more than three months in retirement homes, very badly experienced by families and residents, Olivier Véran assured: "It is a measure that I do not regret." Visits resumed on June 22 at these establishments. "The consequences that we saw clearly at the time of confinement, it is especially the sadness of not being able to see his family. This has impacts like depressions", underlines Florence Arnaiz-Maumé. 

CORONAVIRUS ESSENTIALS

> Coronavirus: pay attention to the theory of collective immunity

> Coronavirus: three questions on rapid serological tests in pharmacies

> Holidays: should grandparents worry about looking after their grandchildren?

> Coronavirus: in schools, the health protocol will remain the same at the start of the school year

> Coronavirus: the 5 mistakes not to make with your mask

"In the most fragile people, the damage [ of the coronavirus, editor's note ] can be considerable and I still prefer to choose to protect people even if it means isolating them but always accompanying them with humanity, rather than taking the risk of seeing them die by the dozen sometimes in very difficult conditions ", hammered the Minister of Health. But social isolation can be very hard on an older person. "The person is old, multi-pathological, and sometimes, she does not already understand why one confines", explains the trade unionist. "It marks and it has consequences", she sums up.