The feelings are mixed.
She is both happy and "a little stressed".
On December 19, Muriel, 36, will leave the Parisian frenzy by train to find her childhood home in the South West, in the middle of the hills.
We are waiting for him for Christmas.
There, there will be his parents, his grandmother and especially Papi Guy, asthmatic, who has a series of bronchitis.
How to be sure not to bring the Covid-19 in your bag of gifts?
"As for the first wave, I cannot isolate myself, I take the metro every day to go to work," said this official in her singing accent.
From the day I took my tickets, I knew I was going to get tested.
"She will therefore go to a pharmacy 48 hours before departure," for my family, it will be proof that I do not have the Covid ".
While many French people are getting ready to be screened to limit the risk of waking up with the family, health professionals are getting organized and adapting.
"We are ready, we are gradually increasing in charge," launches Pierre Béguerie, president of the central council of the order of pharmacists, while 7,800 pharmacies practice these antigenic tests, with results much faster than in the laboratory.
Doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, midwives and dentists are also authorized to perform them.
“It's everyone's business,” says Pierre Béguerie.
In his store in Bidart, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, some customers have already made two appointments, for ten days, one before and after the holidays.
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"There is awareness, people are worried, they ask us, if they should take the test before going to their family, to go on a trip, what is the difference with the one in the lab…".
Other French people book on the sante.fr site to be sure of having a place in a collection point near their home.
For now, there are.
But already, fear is mounting of not being able to respond to the exceptional influx within a few days.
Especially since the media coverage of the massive screenings that begin this Monday in Le Havre (Seine-Maritime) and Charleville-Mézières are likely to have a ripple effect everywhere else.
"In anticipation, we have widened our time slots since Monday and our teams will start working at night again," explains François Blanchecotte, president of the National Union of Biologists.
We are preparing for a strong increase especially from December 21.
But if the 26% of French people who intend to be tested really do so, it will be impossible, we cannot go beyond 2 million PCRs per week.
"
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A scenario that we fear at the top of the State.
"We must avoid the congestion of laboratories, pharmacies, doctors who perform tests, alerted Olivier Véran, the Minister of Health.
If 10, 15 or 20 million people wanted to be tested before Christmas dinner, no health facility in the world would be able to cope.
"
"Comfort tests"
A decree, which has just been published, reshuffles the cards.
"If we do not give the result in 48 hours, it will be the responsibility of the biologist", specifies François Blanchecotte.
Could the labs be tempted to do less to make sure they meet the deadlines when currently in three quarters of cases the verdict falls in less than two days?
"It's possible," he nods.
Priority will be given to people with symptoms and to contact cases before those who want to reassure themselves.
"We could refuse if there are too many people," warns pharmacist Pierre Béguerie, especially as antigenic tests make it difficult to identify patients without symptoms.
VIDEO. Getting tested before joining your family at Christmas? Beware of "risks", warns Véran
Faced with the demand, the government warned against the use of "comfort tests".
They are not an “immunity totem,” insisted the Minister of Health.
A negative result a few days before Christmas does not guarantee to be negative on the evening of December 24.
We can become infected the following days and especially feel protected and relax.
“If we took a risk, of course we did a test, but it is not a miracle solution, rather a complement in the fight against Covid.
The question is, what choice do we make for Christmas?
», Continues François Blanchecotte, who has decided to spend New Years Eve only with his parents, without children and grandchildren.
"Not everyone needs to be tested," supports Jean-Paul Hamon, honorary president of the Federation of Doctors of France.
If we respect barrier gestures, there is no reason to worry.
At the table, we wear the mask, we stand at a distance of five feet, we must also wash our hands well and ventilate.
The virus does not stop at the doorstep of houses.
Muriel understood this well.
Even with a negative result, the Toulouse woman will keep her mask as much as possible indoors, even while preparing the Yule log, laughs this fine cook.