"So do we kiss or not?"
Unmissable moment of embarrassment in 2020, this preamble to all family events.
Some stick to barrier gestures by contenting themselves with a humorous nod, others prefer to send the health protocol flying on the altar of the joy of reunion after months of estrangement and concerns during confinement. .
The Covid-19 has changed the organization of baptisms, weddings and other birthdays.
Sarah Philippe knows something about it.
Her mother's wedding was originally scheduled to take place in mid-May.
Containment requires, it was postponed to the end of November.
And the organization is already running into a puzzle.
Parties that try to adapt ... or not
"We are working on a new version of marriage," smiles the 25-year-old girl.
"We are working on the barrier gestures to put in place. She is considering making every other seat for social distancing at the table. We are thinking about how to organize the space. We want to change the meal from a buffet. to table service. That's quite a thought to have. "
Anyone can stop # COVID19.
Washing your hands, distance yourself, wearing the mask will be our daily life for several months.
It must be made a healthy lifestyle, an automatism.
I'm not saying it's easy, I'm saying we have no choice.
- Olivier Véran (@olivierveran) August 27, 2020
"We review a lot of things, even trivial. We had planned activities during the cocktail party so that people from different groups meet. We are trying to transform that into games compatible with the health situation, by replacing with a treasure hunt in the area. room or challenges which humorously insist on barrier gestures, "says Sarah Philippe, who is used to leading these reflections as part of her job as an event manager.
In churches that host celebrations, we also adapt.
The mask is required, whether it is a wedding or a funeral.
The chairs of the assistance are arranged in such a way as to respect social distancing and a gauge is often established.
We have even seen certain priests resorting to the water pistol to baptize a child while respecting barrier gestures.
if we only keep one thing from this pandemic, i hope it's priests with water pistols pic.twitter.com/2LNCjqEFtc
- beth (@bethbourdon) May 24, 2020
But for others, respecting barrier gestures does not seem so obvious.
"I was at a family double birthday last week. The party was held in a large garden. Admittedly, we were less tactile in the hugs than usual, but there was still little social distancing, and no masks ", says Mathieu [the first name has been changed].
"Of course, there were fewer exchanges of glasses than usual, but that struck me. Nobody brought up the subject. My sister, who lives in Belgium, had to resolve not to make the trip, under penalty of being imposed a fourteen on his return. The Belgians seem to be much harsh than us. "
Serial cancellations
As England has decided to ban gatherings of more than six people as of Monday, should we be tougher with private events?
Certain epidemiologists and politicians are open to it: "All family celebrations in closed places, they must be canceled. […] If you have planned in September to have a big cousin with the whole family in the living room, you must not do it ", admonished Martin Blachier, epidemiologist on Europe 1 last August, evoking a" very important cluster risk ".
Prime Minister Jean Castex also recommended "to avoid family celebrations as much as possible".
Sarah Philippe gave up going to a friend's wedding in early September because of suspicious cases in her business.
More fear than harm in the end, but caution remains in order to stem the resumption of the epidemic.
>> To read also: Covid-19 in France: who, when and where to be tested?
"There are a lot of people who cancel in prevention. Elderly people, but also others who are afraid of family reunification," says Sarah Philippe.
"And at the same time, we are in total uncertainty about the possibility of getting married next November. My mother is necessarily a little disappointed, it is far from being the wedding she imagined."
Arguing with his family because I refused to attend a wedding of 250 people in Marseille # COVID19.
Irresponsible 🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️.
I assume.
I stay at home 🤬🤬
- Doc Talons (@KadochVanessa) August 26, 2020
Chantal Prouvost is also in the most complete uncertainty.
To celebrate the birthday of his mother-in-law (95 years old), the family of about sixty people and scattered throughout France was to meet at Easter.
Confinement requires, the anniversary had to be postponed.
"The owner of the rental was understanding. We were able to cancel our reservation and find a new date in November," recounts this Breton woman.
"But today, even the month of November doesn't seem guaranteed anymore, since we don't know what can happen until then."
"There will be less hugs, it will be less warm. We will not touch. I do not know if we will be keen to hide our smiles under masks. If the anniversary takes place, it will still be an atmosphere Weird. This festival delights us and anguishes us ", she laments.
A place of contamination, but not the only one
Several consecutive clusters of family gatherings made the headlines this summer.
On July 14 near Lake Annecy (Haute-Savoie), thirty people who attended the same wedding tested positive for coronavirus.
Same thing at the end of July after a wedding in the Hauts-de-Seine.
According to Public Health France, private or public events, in which birthdays, weddings and other celebrations between relatives take place, constitute 15% of contamination clusters.
It is only in companies that we find more contamination (29%).
"It is not a question of stopping all these social interactions", nuances however Matthieu Revest, infectious disease specialist at the University Hospital of Rennes, questioned by Ouest-France.
"They must continue, but in a different way."
He recommends giving priority to outdoor parties, wearing a mask and making hydroalcoholic gel available to guests and ensuring that alcohol, often present in these events, is not an excuse to relax barrier gestures. .
"We have to find the right balance, because we will have to live with the virus for a long time and we cannot prevent family reunions, which could have an even more deleterious effect than the possible contaminations which could be linked to it", advance he.
The Covid-19 has not finished playing the spoilsport.
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