Paris-Plages: its deckchairs, its swimming… and its screening tests. This Saturday, the traditional summer meeting of Parisians resumed its neighborhoods at the Parc Rives-de-Seine (Ve - Ier) and the Bassin de la Villette (XIXth). And, for its 19th edition - revised and adapted to the context of the health crisis - two stands were full: those of the Health Villages, offering free screening tests for coronavirus.
At Parc Rives-de-Seine, a queue continues along the Health Village. Pens in hand, the most advanced fill out an information sheet. At each pass, the speech of the supervisors is honed: for this Saturday, only Trod (Quick diagnostic orientation test) are offered.
The principle: a drop of blood is taken from the finger and, fifteen minutes later, the result falls. "You know if you have been affected by the coronavirus or if you currently have it," says one of the caregivers. In this second case, the person tested is then referred to their attending physician. If you don't like the sight of blood: nasal tests will also be in place from Sunday until August 30.
"We already had to refill our bottle of gel"
On the side of the Bassin de la Villette, the Health Village has barely opened when a dozen people are waiting their turn. Here too, the supervisors do not stop: "We have barely started and we have already had to refill our bottle of hydroalcoholic gel", underlines one of them, astonished.
In the queue, Farida is waiting with Nabil, her 7-year-old son. They were among the first to take a dip in the area authorized for swimming in the Bassin de la Villette before continuing on a few pedal boat rides. It was by chance that they came across the screening stand: "We never could do it, so we thought it was time", clarifies Farida.
To be able to manage flows, the stand in the Bassin de la Villette even offers holidaymakers an appointment on site ... and the formula works.
Visibly smiling under his mask, Pierrot leaves the queue. In his hands, he holds a ticket: meet at 4 p.m. for his test. "I was passing by chance and I had no idea they were doing that at all," he says happily. In the meantime, the septuagenarian has two hours to kill him. Two hours he can spend on the deckchairs, sunbathing, or on the bowling green, tickling the pig.
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Paris Plages, in the Bassin de la Villette (19th century) and in the Parc Rives-de-Seine, between the Pont de Sully (Ve) and the Pont Neuf (I). The Health Villages are open from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Free screening.