A mutant virus in the United Kingdom which suddenly panics Europe, worrying levels of contamination in France, calls for caution from the government before a limited family reunion, according to health instructions, to six adult guests ... Difficult to be intoxicated by the magic of Christmas when the Covid-19 is in everyone's mind.
So to each his own D system to keep the spirit of the party, without taking too many risks.
1. Why not in the garage?
Keeping your distance at the table and not finding yourself in a too cramped place is one of the key recommendations for this New Year's Eve.
“The more we find ourselves in a small space and the more people we receive, the more we increase the risk factors”, underlines Doctor Jacques Battistoni.
"My children meet me on the 24th and we have enlarged the table to be further away from each other", adds the doctor.
Paul has opted for an even more radical solution.
“I put everyone in the garage, ironically this forty-something from the Parisian suburbs.
It is the largest room in the house.
Trestles and a large board will serve as a table so that we are all well spaced ”.
2. Tests, gel and barrier gestures
To protect his loved ones from any risk of contamination, Paul also issued rules before going to the garage.
"Hand washing is scheduled as soon as you walk through the door and only one person will give the gifts," he explains.
While authorities advocated a small committee dinner (ideally no more than six), José, 67, invited the same people as last year.
He and his wife will welcome their two sons and their partner, their five grandchildren and one of his cousins who lives alone.
“Initially, my children did not want, recognizes this retiree from Maisons-Alfort (Val-de-Marne).
I insisted, so they made a condition: that everyone take a test first.
Of the twelve people invited, apart from the two youngest, everyone should have their results.
And then, we also plan to ventilate regularly ”
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3. Air, air
Unless celebrating Christmas on the balcony, ventilating is the preferred solution for all doctors to reduce the risk of contamination.
"Opening the windows wide every twenty minutes really makes sense because aerosols (these microscopic particles that escape into the air when you speak) can fill a room in just ten minutes", explains Bertrand Maury, professor of mathematics at Paris-Saclay University.
"The objective is that the virus does not accumulate in the atmosphere," adds Lydéric Bocquet, specializes in fluid physics at the CNRS (National Center for Scientific Research).
Airing helps reduce the number of particles in the room.
It was, moreover, one of the recommendations of hospitals in the 19th century to clean the ambient air.
“To avoid spitting too much, the specialist advises, moreover, on Christmas Eve to refrain from… singing.
4. American-style braces
If there is one critical moment on Christmas Eve, it is the meal.
“The fact of sharing a dinner is a major contamination factor, because it is at this moment that the guests fall off the mask and breathe the same air,” recalls Dr. Jacques Battistoni.
"If a person is fragile or at risk, it is better to place them a little away from the table and not to address them too closely," advises Bertrand Maury.
This is the solution adopted by Paul, the quadra who requisitioned his garage: “My mother, who is 71 years old, will be at the end of the table.
First, because she's the head of the family, but also to protect her, of course.
»Once at the table, Bertrand Maury suggests not to serve yourself in the dish with your own cutlery, obviously not to drink from another's glass and to wash your hands in the middle of a meal.
Once the gifts have been opened, forbid the kiss.
"The most reasonable, says the researcher, is undoubtedly the American embrace where you do not find yourself face to face."
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Holidays in the time of the Covid: how to breathe Christmas despite everything
5. Video conferencing for those who have remained at a distance ...
Because she knows she is at risk, Babette, 78 years old, decided "with death in her soul" to stay alone on the evening of the 24th, far from her children and grandchildren.
"It will be hard to be without them, but I don't want to take the risk of being contaminated," says this retiree from Essonne.
I will still taste my foie gras and prepare a Bloody Mary before calling the children.
"
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Stéphane, originally from Créteil (Val-de-Marne), has also opted for a remote Christmas with his relatives. “I decided not to go see my parents, who are in the Dordogne, for this New Year's Eve,” says this 45-year-old seller. They are 77 and 81 and I didn't want to take any chances. Usually, we all meet there, with my brother who lives in Brittany and my sister who lives near my parents. This year, she alone will go to dinner with them and her partner. My parents will therefore not see their four grandchildren, but it is wiser. We will still have a little video. As for me, it will be a Christmas with my wife and my two children. "
