64 patrols and more than 900 soldiers of the gendarmerie are on the bridge in Ille-et-Vilaine for the night of New Year’s Eve. That is seven times more than for an ordinary night. With a priority: to ensure that there are as few victims as possible on the road. “Road safety is the number one priority for the night” indicates Colonel Sébastien Jaudon. In number 2 was also added the issue of the health situation. “Unlike last year, people will go out and eat,” continues the commander of the Ille-et-Vilaine group.
The gendarmes expect to receive four times more calls than usual and to at least 700 or 800 interventions in the department, against 130 for a classic night. Visiting with the mayor of Rennes, Nathalie Appéré, the prefect of Ille-et-Vilaine, Emmanuel Berthier, appealing for vigilance and responsibility. “Faced with the explosion of the Omicron variant, you have to protect yourself, respect barrier gestures, and meet in a limited number of places after having carried out tests. Tonight, we are not dancing in bars and restaurants ”. As for the possibility of a rave party, which had largely mobilized the gendarmes last year in Lieuron, “the rule is announced: they are prohibited and we will ensure that this is respected”.
Emergencies and SAMU are preparing
In the emergency room of the University Hospital of Pontchaillou, the mayor of Rennes had a long discussion with a doctor. “Emergencies are a reflection of the ills of the public hospital,” she told him. For New Year’s Eve, the numbers are “normal”. An additional caregiver is present and the service has succeeded in replacing all caregivers suffering from Covid or being in contact. For now, service is calm, but is expected to be crowded from 10 p.m. and peak just after midnight. According to caregivers, the general instruction to call 15 before going to the emergency room is bearing fruit.
At the SAMU, the Ille-et-Vilaine call center expects to receive nearly 1,400 calls, against 200 in normal times. Assistants for medical regulations, who give first aid advice and then refer to an emergency or general practitioner have come as reinforcements. For New Year’s Eve, 35 volunteer doctors, active or retired, are on duty at the call center.
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