Omicron work stoppages, the next economic nightmare after the first wave?
Concern is growing about a potential generalized disorganization in the face of the surge of contaminations expected in January.
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The list is long of sectors at risk of being absent from work linked to the “
hundreds of thousands
” of cases per day feared at the start of the year, according to Olivier Guérin, member of the French Scientific Council, citing “
food distribution, security, energy, transport, communications, and health
”.
The president of the institution, Jean-François Delfraissy, for his part raised the "
possible disorganization of a number of essential services
".
Read also Covid-19: Emmanuel Macron will hold a health defense council this Monday, December 27
Still in the minority in France, the Omicron variant has not caused massive forced isolation due to positive cases or contact cases.
But a few warning signs are appearing and the spotlight is on the sixth wave in January.
Cancellation of flights
On rail, SNCF notes with AFP marginal disruptions in regional trains but no impact on main lines.
The RATP does not feel “
no worries for the moment
”, and the Post office affirms not to have encountered any problem.
On the air side, where the Scandinavian company SAS had to cancel dozens of flights on Tuesday and Wednesday due to the absence of sick employees and that Lufthansa is suffering the same problem on its long-haul flights without confirming that the variant is involved, Air France does not currently see pilots or flight crew sick to the point of forcing cancellations.
In crafts and small construction companies, a sector already affected by staff shortages, “
contact cases and positive cases mean that we lose more manpower and it will become complicated to provide as much activity
, “worried Friday the president of their Confederation (Capeb), Jean-Christophe Repon, on France Info.
Read also Omicron: Lufthansa cuts 10% of its flights this winter
The government tries to be reassuring, the Minister of Health, Olivier Véran, affirming that "
there are anticipatory cells at all levels (...) so as to allow the country to turn
", in the areas of health, education, transport, and economics.
"
We must avoid any phenomenon of paralysis in the country,
" he said.
Asked by AFP, the Ministry of Finance said Friday to be vigilant and closely monitor the situation, when many sectors could again call for help.
Cancellations at the Moulin Rouge, Crazy Horse and Théâtre Mogador
Teleworking is strongly recommended by the government, but 44% of working people say they cannot use it, according to a survey carried out in mid-December by the Harris cabinet for the Ministry of Labor.
This is by nature the case with performing arts, where a surge in cases has forced cancellations at the Moulin Rouge, Crazy Horse and the Mogador Theater in Paris, in the wake of Broadway, which rekindles the memory of the first wave. spring 2020.
Read alsoCovid-19: Élisabeth Borne calls on companies to plan “3 to 4 days of teleworking” from the start of the school year
"
It is very likely that the activities of a number of companies will be considerably affected for the simple reason that Omicron is much more infectious than the previous variants
", emphasizes to AFP Roel Beetsma, professor of economics at the University of Amsterdam.
This has already been the case in Belgium, where the Audi plant in Brussels, one of the largest automobile manufacturing sites in the country, closed at the end of November for a week due to the multiplication of cases of Covid.
Read also Covid-19: Emmanuel Macron will hold a health defense council this Monday, December 27
Faced with the risk of a tidal wave, the French government is considering revising the methods of isolation, according to Olivier Véran that it is necessary to "
prepare for the hypothesis (...) that a not insignificant part of the working population is found contact or positive case even without symptoms, at the same time
”.
A health defense council will be held in France on Monday.