A long-awaited decision.
A few hours before the start of the school year this Monday after fifteen days of vacation for the end of year holidays, the Minister of Health Olivier Véran announced in an interview with the Journal du Dimanche the new isolation rules.
The government said to wait until then for the conclusions of the High Council of Public Health to decide.
From Monday, "positive people whose vaccination schedule is complete will have to isolate themselves for seven days", announces the Minister of Health. "This isolation can be lifted after five days in the event of an antigen test or negative PCR", also specifies Olivier Véran. Unvaccinated people will have to isolate themselves for ten days, or seven if there is a negative test. These rules are the same regardless of the contaminating variant.
The rule is also simplified for contact cases and is identical here again, whatever the contaminating variant. "If you are not vaccinated or if you have not made your reminder on time, you will have to isolate yourself for seven days," said Olivier Véran to the Journal du Dimanche. Those who have a complete regimen (with the booster dose if necessary) will not need to isolate themselves "provided they do regular tests". Thus, it will be necessary to do a first test, PCR or antigen, "the day you learn that you are in contact", then a self-test on the second day and then on the fourth. "By providing proof of your first screening on D0 at the pharmacy, you will receive all the self-tests necessary for your follow-up free of charge," adds Olivier Véran.
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As expected, this quarantine protocol is lightened to prevent the very large number of daily positive cases for the Omicron variant, which has become the majority in France, and therefore the number of contact cases it generates, from creating too much disorder with the absences caused in businesses or schools.
"We must avoid any phenomenon of paralysis", had already warned Olivier Véran, the Minister of Health.
A credo since taken up by Jean Castex: "We are going to adjust our doctrine on the duration of isolation (...) It will be a question of placing less stress on the vaccinated people", had notably advanced the Prime Minister at the end of the last Health Defense Council.
