Sign of relaxation after the good results of the weeks following the start of the school year or general resurgence of the virus in the country also affecting the department, or both?
"The alert threshold of 50 new cases having been exceeded for more than five days, wearing a mask is mandatory in elementary schools in Seine-et-Marne from November 8," announced Thursday the prefecture of the Seine -et-Marne so that the parents of pupils are informed in advance of the resumption of the autumn school holidays and make their arrangements for this Monday.
In a press release published on November 4, when the two-week vacation is drawing to a close, the prefect justifies his decision by the fact that "the incidence rate of the Covid-19 epidemic in the department of Seine-et -Marne increased by 10.53% in seven days to reach (…) 63 cases per 100,000 inhabitants (as of) October 31 ”.
However, when we take a closer look at the statistics of Public Health France, the agency of the Ministry of Health, summarized by the Météo Covid site, we see that the largest increases in the incidence rate do not affect the most schoolchildren but their parents. In fact, on November 1, 0-9 year olds and 9-19 year olds are the two age groups that fall by 2% with respective incidence rates of 50.5 (compared to 40.2 on October 18). and 54 (compared to 50.5 two weeks earlier) new cases per 100,000 inhabitants. While 29-39 year olds increased by 16% to 93.5 (compared to 83.7 on October 18), followed by 19-29 year olds (+ 9% to 61.1 compared to 66.5 two weeks earlier) and the 39-49 year olds (+ 3% to 69.1 against 52.9 on October 18).
The same measure was taken in 38 other French departments, especially in the west of the country with the exception of Mayenne where the mask will no longer be compulsory on Monday.
The very day of the publication of the prefectural decree, this Thursday therefore, the departmental incidence rate had fallen to 56 new cases while the national average is 54.
No brewing and disinfection of the premises several times a day
On Monday, October 18, favorable indicators had allowed Seine-et-Marne to move to level 1 (or green), according to the graduation of the health protocol for the 2021-2022 school year.
The department is now back to level 2 (or yellow), as in the whole of the Île-de-France region.
From Monday, this change of regime will involve the return of the ban on mixing students between classes.
Particularly in the canteen, where half-boarding schoolchildren will again have to eat in class groups and at the same table every day.
The measure also implies the obligation for the municipalities to disinfect the premises several times a day.
Three weeks ago, noting the considerable improvements in the fight against the progression of the Covid-19 epidemic, Prefect Lionel Beffre repealed the obligation to wear a mask in primary schools in Seine-et-Marne.
The only department in the entire Ile-de-France region to experience such an improvement.
At level 2 for more than a year, the health protocol applied in the 1,097 public and private primary schools concerned had gone down to level 1. Some 164,000 schoolchildren in Seine-et-Marne had therefore been able to benefit for only one week of class. of the measure before the autumn holidays.
This reversal was tackled at the beginning of the week by Guislaine David, spokesperson for the SnuiPP-FSU school teachers' union: “We alerted the ministry to this hasty decision.
Scientists announced a rebound a month ago, it was unwise to drop the mask on the only population that cannot be vaccinated ”.