New deconfinement, new rules exposed by Emmanuel Macron on November 24 and taken up again by Jean Castex two days later.
Expected for several weeks, the reopening of shops took place on Saturday 28 November but with a precise gauge established at 8m2 per customer which applies
"to the total sales area, only to customers and appreciated with common sense
", specified the Prime Minister.
While during the first deconfinement, the protocol imposed a safety distance of 4m2, how to explain such a change?
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- 8m2 per customer, barrier gestures, counting system ... Alain Griset details the new sanitary protocol in shops
"
We have made progress since March,"
explains Anne-Claude Crémieux, infectious disease specialist and member of the National Academy of Medicine, "
we know more about the virus and the way it is transmitted.
Before, only the droplets of saliva were identified as a vector of transmission of the virus.
But since July 13, the WHO has admitted that Covid-19 can also be transmitted by aerosols, particularly in places "
overcrowded and insufficiently ventilated for a prolonged period with infected people
".
Read also: The seven lessons to learn from the first deconfinement to avoid the rebound
By imposing 8m2 per person, the health authorities hope to avoid clusters in closed places where the viral cells would remain suspended in the air for several hours.
“
The 8m² gauge was chosen as an intermediary between 4m² (distance of 1m) and 13m² (distance of 2m)
”, adds the Ministry of Health to
Le Figaro
.
It is "
a measure based both on knowledge of risks, appreciation of health issues and social acceptance
".
And for private places?
“The only way to protect people in enclosed spaces is to impose a mask for everyone, recurring ventilation and reduce the density of people,
” adds Dr. Anne-Claude Crémieux.
Based on these findings, the Ministry of Health recommends reducing the number of guests at Christmas meals while promoting the wearing of masks as soon as meals are over.
"
No face-to-face at the table either
, recommends the academician,
it is necessary to limit as much as possible the meetings of people in confined places
".
Read also: Reopening of shops: how brands are preparing to count their customers
The imbroglio of places of worship
What then to think of the limit of 30 people authorized to go to places of worship regardless of the size of the building?
For the Conference of Bishops of France (CEF), this decision is “unrealistic, inapplicable and a serious error”.
Anne-Claude Crémieux explains this measure by justifying the lack of ventilation despite their spaciousness which is more, with activities such as singing which is "
a very dangerous activity
".
To read also: Pierre Manent: "A deliberate offense against the Catholic Church"
Faced with growing anger from the Catholic Church, the Council of State asked the government to review its copy.
The wise men decreed that in view of article
29 of the decree of November 27 which "empowers the prefect of the department to restrict [...] if this was necessary for the most important buildings, in particular with regard to their conditions of access to set a ceiling derogating from a gauge which remains to be set, at national level, according to the number of square meters per person or a percentage of the capacity of places of worship
”, the limit of the number of people without taking into account the space of the room is disproportionate and therefore "
a serious and manifestly illegal interference with the freedom of worship
".
The government must therefore present by Wednesday a new protocol with a new gauge of people authorized to go to places of worship.
An estimate that could comply with 8 square meters per person.
Read also: Covid: are places of worship really places of contamination?
