In order to avoid the famous “second wave” of the Covid-19 epidemic, each country is deploying its own strategy. A measure, implemented in cafes, restaurants and other establishments in Belgium, Germany, or even Switzerland, is of particular interest to several elected officials in France.
This involves asking each customer to enter their contact details in order to be contacted if another person present at the same time is found, a few hours or a few days later, to be positive for the coronavirus. The goal is known: "to trace" the contact cases in order to avoid a strong resumption of the virus circulation.
How does this work in practice?
Concretely, each customer must complete a form with, at least, his e-mail or phone number. Since Saturday 25 July, in Belgium, this measure has been applied in “Horeca”, the Belgian acronym meaning “Hotels, restaurants, cafes”. If the customer refuses, the manager can refuse entry, and the data is deleted after two weeks. "We must communicate a way to be contacted, even if the owner can obviously not verify if it is the right address or the right number", indicates to the Parisian the Belgian environmentalist Gilles Vanden Burre.
On Monday July 27, Prime Minister Sophie Wilmès indicated that “contact information will also be requested” in several other places open to the public, such as “wellness centers and sports lessons”.
In Germany, it has been several months since many cities have taken the same measure. In some cases, it has been in effect since the reopening of establishments on May 18. "Every time we go to an enclosed area outside the supermarket (restaurant, swimming pool, hospital, etc.), we are asked for our name, number, address, and e-mail", says Jean, a Frenchman from about thirty years old who have lived in Düsseldorf for several years. Most often, as in Berlin, the data must "be erased after four weeks", says the site of the city.
... And for customers, obligation to complete a sheet with name, first name, address, telephone number ("These data are used to identify possible chains of transmission of the virus but will not be used for anything else, and will be destroyed after one month ”). pic.twitter.com/oDj7rjPLQg
- Thomas Wieder (@ThomasWieder) May 18, 2020In Switzerland, the measure was decided at the beginning of May but only on a voluntary basis.
What is it used for ?
This is a way of "tracing" contact cases. If another client tests positive for Covid-19 after the fact, all those who attended the establishment at the same time can be found and contacted via these forms. They are then invited to be tested in their turn and to isolate themselves while awaiting the result of the test, in order to limit the risk of them infecting other people if they themselves have been infected.
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“The last patient hospitalized with us went to a PMU. If we had a notebook listing the people we met there, we could more easily trace the chain of transmission, ”illustrates Benjamin Davido, infectious disease specialist at Raymond-Poincaré hospital in Garches.
This measure is supposed to be complementary to the application of "tracing" that several countries have developed. But only a minority of citizens have downloaded it (10 million in Germany, or less than 15% of the population, for example). In Belgium, the project had even been postponed at the end of April, the authorities fearing a flop. The company that will have to develop the application has just been chosen for a deployment expected in September.
And in France ?
Nothing like this exists in France, with a few exceptions. In Montereau, all residents who go to “Montereau Plage” must leave their contact details. In Paris, Health Assistant Anne Souyris would like restaurateurs and bistros to ask their customers the same. “You really have to do as in Germany,” she told the Parisian Sunday, July 26, advancing difficulties in enforcing barrier gestures and distancing.
"This is what must be done, to facilitate tracing and move up the chain of contamination as quickly as possible", also pleaded Professor Eric Caumes, head of the infectious diseases department at the Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital. , on BFMTV on July 17th.
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But there are several obstacles. On the one hand, this measure could go against certain individual freedoms. It is, moreover, the lack of a legal basis for this massive collection of data that led the Swiss authorities to backpedal and not to make this system compulsory. “It is essential not to undermine it, but it is also very important to be able to ensure that there is an opportunity to contact people. It is an exceptional measure in response to an exceptional situation ", judges Gilles Vanden Burre, while Belgium is facing a rebound in the number of contaminations."
On the other hand, practical questions arise. Bistros are often not in the habit of asking their customers to fill out forms, unlike restaurant owners who are already used to taking reservations. "Imagine what that would imply for a coffee maker, who will take as long to fill out the document as to serve a coffee", judges the GNI-HCR (National Group of Independents - Hotel and Catering).
While recognizing that it "sometimes lacks a few centimeters" of distance in order to respect the meter gap between the tables, the professional organization calls on its members to "respect and enforce" perfectly the health instructions already in force. "I prefer above all that we rehash the rules and that we wear the mask and respect the barrier gestures more assiduously," argues Pascal Mousset, the president of the GNI Paris Île-de-France.
For the moment, the follow-up of contact cases in France is only carried out via telephone surveys conducted by the Health Insurance and the StopCovid application. But it was only downloaded by 2 million citizens, or less than 3% of the population. Deeming him also "too complicated" to complete documents by hand, Benjamin Davido calls on the government to increase the encouragement to download StopCovid. "We are trying to find patches instead of using modern means, it's a waste," he laments.
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