While the Scientific Council recommends that French people who are going to spend the holidays with their families to "self-confine", the analysis laboratories are also expecting a rush on tests as Christmas approaches.

But daily capacities are limited and symptoms will always take priority.

With less than two weeks before Christmas, many French people plan to go get tested before sitting down with their family around the turkey.

A rush for which pharmacies are already preparing, but also laboratories which analyze the famous PCR test.

They expect a sharp increase in demand, but capacity is limited.

"We are able to do around 600,000 PCRs per day", indicates to the microphone of Europe 1, Vincent Vieillefond, pharmacist in charge of microbiology at the Biogroupe plateau in Levallois-Perret, where the tests are analyzed.

"If we exceed this threshold, there may be disappointments."

>> LIVE -

 Coronavirus: follow the evolution of the situation Tuesday, December 15 

Priority symptoms

Because the priority people for screening tests against the coronavirus remain the same, the symptomatic, the contact cases and the nursing staff or similar.

"Someone with symptoms will always pass in front of a person who has made an appointment within the framework of a family meeting and who thought they were doing well," says the pharmacist.

And to abound: "It will not be a Christmas like the others, it must be accepted".

CORONAVIRUS ESSENTIALS

> Covid-19 vaccines: what do we really know about their side effects?

> What do we know about "long Covid", these patients who are going through hell?

> These three facets of the coronavirus that you may not have heard of

> When are we in contact?

And other questions that we ask ourselves every day

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

"Self-containment" recommended by the Scientific Council

To avoid overloading the laboratories, the scientific council recommends for its part "self-containment" for a week to those who wish to spend holidays with the family.

In a "scientific background note" published Monday, the scientists recall that it is necessary to "limit family and friendly meetings as much as possible, especially during this period of the end of the year, by discussing the reasons with those around them" . 

For those who will still spend the holidays with the family, the best is to confine themselves preventively: take leave or tele-work a week before December 24 or 31, they advise.

A "tolerance" will even be applied Thursday and Friday for the absences of students who self-confine before the holidays, said the office of the Minister of National Education, Jean-Michel Blanquer.

And if self-containment is not possible, the best protection against the coronavirus is caution: maintain distancing as much as possible, wear the mask indoors and wash your hands up to 15 times a day if necessary.