Riviera Radio News Sunday 3rd May 2020

Meeting of ministers - During an extraordinary council of ministers meeting held on Saturday 2nd May both France’s health and interior minister detailed the main proposals of a bill for an end to the lockdown in France which will be presented to the National Assembly.

The text, which includes seven articles, aims to "consolidate the legal framework" and to "broaden" it to "integrate the issues of deconfinement", which should begin on May 11, said Olivier Véran adding that this will only happen if the health situation at that time, does not present a greater threat than today.

The government has decided to extend for two months, until July 24, the state of health emergency in France to fight the coronavirus pandemic. The state of a health emergency was declared on March 24, and was due to be  lifted on May 23rd which is now considered to be too premature.

Quarantine and isolation would be compulsory when entering France. The text specifies in particular the quarantine conditions for people arriving in France and infected with the virus. The compulsory fortnight is imposed on everyone who enters France and will be organized with necessary measures in place. Self Isolation will concern people arriving In France as well as those presenting a positive diagnosis of coronavirus. 

For patients infected with Sars-CoV-2 in France,  compulsory isolation measures will be taken by the Regional  Health Agency (ARS) and after medical observation of the person's infected. 

Controlling movement after May 11th. From May 11th you will no longer have to produce a certificate to go out. However, wearing a mask will be compulsory on public transport, and businesses will reopen provided they respect the barrier gestures.

The text also mentions the implementation of an "information system" concerning sick people and their entourage for a maximum of one year.  "This will involve collecting non-medical data, but also medical data to bring them to the attention of the authorities," said Olivier Véran, who then detailed "five distinct stages".

First step: collection of tests by laboratories, when they are positive. Then comes "level 1 tracking", operated by doctors and primary health care professionals, "to define the first circle of contact cases of a sick person". "Level 2 " will be carried out by Medicare to define "the list of potential contacts beyond the first circle, to verify that no potentially sick person was able to escape the first tracking".

Finally, "level 3" is organized by the ARS: "It is a question of identifying the chains of contamination, of transmission, what were called at one point the 'clusters', the areas of high circulation of the virus”.

This information system is already the subject of criticism on the collection and use of data. Olivier Véran also indicated that, given "a risk of breach of medical confidentiality", the government will introduce a legal  framework. “The goal is to "enrich" the famous "brigades" announced by the Prime Minister on Tuesday, "guardian angels" according to Olivier Véran.

The travel limit of 100 kilometers regulated by decree. "The government's objective is not to prevent people from moving, but to prevent the virus from moving," said Christophe Castaner. 

"There is no prohibition on crossing administrative barriers", between regions classified red and regions classified green, said the minister. "This system is built on trust and responsibility, it is not fixed in its terms, it will be specified in the coming week", he added, suggesting that other announcements on this point will be made in the coming days. 

Former member of the High Council for public health says “the end of the pandemic is near” - According to Professor Jean-François Toussaint, a former member of the High Council for Public Health, in an interview with local media he has said that  “the end of the pandemic is near, thanks to the lockdown imposed in France”.
 Toussaint, added that the latest data from Public Health France, indicates an average of 806 new daily cases over the last five days and that for the first time since March 17, the number of infections in mainland France is less than 1,000 per day.

Details of end of lockdown - Find the details of the measures concerning social life and activities within the framework of the national deconfinement strategy in France presented by the Prime Minister For more information 
https://t.co/YllvaHRyt0 https://t.co/ZKhrWM0RNQ

The chart gives the chances of activities being available on low circulation or the virus "faible" and a high circulation of the virus "élevée".

 

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