France crossed the barrier of 900,000 Covid tests per week on Saturday, government spokesman Gabriel Attal announced on Sunday. He also announced that in Paris, from Monday, "test barnums, in front of district town halls" will be set up. On Europe 1, Sunday, Anne Souyris, assistant to Anne Hidalgo in charge of public health, explains the advantages of this new device.
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A coupon system
"Screenings must be able to be done instantly outside, currently, in Paris, that does not exist, we have to wait," she notes. The idea of the town hall of Paris is therefore to relieve a little the laboratories and their long queues which sometimes run on the sidewalks of the capital. Thus, from Monday, everyone will be able to be tested without an appointment, without a prescription and for free, including those who are not insured by Health Insurance.
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Thus, on their arrival under these large tents, Parisians will be given a small coupon without having to stay in the barnum. "You arrive, take a coupon and come back at the appointed time so as not to wait in a line", explains Anne Souyris. "If there are ten people in front of you, it might be in half an hour or less. Otherwise, you are told to come back in an hour or an hour and a half," she adds. "But you are free, instead of waiting in a line, you can do something else," said the assistant.
Target: 2,000 tests per day for now
This device is supposed to gain momentum according to Anne Souyris. "The goal for now is 2,000 tests per day," she said. "We would like a lot more than that. We are in the idea of reaching 10,000 as quickly as possible", she underlines. "There, for the moment, the health authorities tell us that we cannot exceed this number of tests if we want the tests to be treated quickly," she supports.
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Ultimately, the City of Paris wants to set up a center in each arrondissement by the end of September. In Lyon, from Monday, at the exit of certain subways, trams or stations, it will also be possible to be tested for free between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m.