In order to combat any rebound in the Covid-19 epidemic on the island, thermal cameras were installed this Monday, July 13, in the arrival halls of the four Corsican airports, as part of a joint operation between the 'ARS, the CCI and the Prefectures of the Isle of Beauty, noted AFP. At Napoléon Bonaparte airport in Ajaccio, the largest on the island, passengers are scanned after getting off the plane and as soon as they arrive in the terminal through a system of cameras that pre-filter.
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An operator behind a screen then signals all the passengers who appear in red on the screen, a sign of a temperature above 38 ° C. The temperature of these passengers is then taken up with a manual infrared thermometer without contact. A person who still has a temperature above 38 ° C would then be informed to quickly consult, " whether in teleconsultation or in the office, " said Marie-Hélène Lecenne, the director general of the Regional Health Agency ( ARS) of Corsica.
However, no isolation or obligation is provided if a passenger is feverish: “ There is no reason to stigmatize the person. Fever can be a sign of many other ailments, but we will tell her that possibly she is affected by Covid-19 and ask her to be careful, to respect barrier gestures and to wear a mask, "said the director. of the ARS.
A provisional budget of 310 to 410,000 euros
Laurence and Bernard, who just arrived from Paris on Monday afternoon, admit that they did not notice the temperature measurement device: " But that will not help things to get better, " they whisper. Behind them, Mario, an Ajaccian returning from Toulouse, is isolated after detecting a body temperature above 38 ° C: " It's reassuring, it should be done everywhere, " he launched once his suspicion of fever lifted.
This system is the responsibility of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) of Corsica, for a provisional budget estimated at 110,000 euros of equipment for the four airports and 200 to 300,000 euros of operating costs per airport. About fifty agents are mobilized on this operation planned to last until the end of September at least.
In mid-June, the Corsican authorities had presented a battery of measures to avoid a resumption of the Covid-19 epidemic, including a control of the temperature of passengers at airports. The request of the community of Corsica for a " health passport " conditioning entry to the island to the presentation of a negative test at Covid-19 was however not accepted.
