The large-scale screening campaign officially begins this Monday in Charleville-Mézières in the Ardennes. This is also the case in Le Havre, Roubaix and Saint-Etienne. The agglomeration volunteered and was chosen by the government for these massive tests. “Our goal is to test 15 to 20% of the population” says this Sunday evening on franceinfo, Guillaume Mauffré, the regional delegate of the ARS in the Ardennes.
franceinfo: Is the situation worrying in Charleville-Mézières?
Guillaume Mauffré: The health situation in the Ardennes has been worrying for several weeks. After having experienced a plateau for a fortnight, there has been an increase in the circulation of the virus since the beginning of the week. Very concretely, according to data tonight, the incidence rate is 312 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants, when the national average is 114 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
Protect our loved ones, get tested! From 14 to 19, from 21 to 23 and from 28 to 30 December, screening for all, free and fast in one of the 8 new sites installed in the territory of @08metropole # AllTrackedBefore Christmas pic.twitter.com/0vBp7PSubQ
– Ardennes metropolis (@ 08metropole) December 11, 2020
Why is the virus circulating more?
There are a number of things that are seen on the circulation of the virus. The Ardennes were not as affected as the other departments in the region during the first wave. There are still many elements that escape us. One of the objectives of this national experiment, which will begin tomorrow, is to try to better understand the reasons which lead to the chains of transmission and to this very high level of circulation of viruses. Our goal is to test 15 to 20% of the population, or around 50,000 people. In total, 265,000 people live in the Ardennes.
How do you do if you want to be tested?
So, we have two methods of implementation in the department. We have a mobilization of all the sites that already exist. And then, we have eight specific, temporary sites set up in the metropolitan area community. On these eight sites, we are on a no-appointment basis. We present ourselves at the opening window from 3 to 7 p.m. and the test is carried out and returned after 15 to 30 minutes. Then, all of the “tracing” operations and isolation proposals on the sites are initiated.
“We will have a second screening campaign which will be offered to the entire population.”
What Happens to People Who Test Positive?
So, we make them a proposal for isolation, which allows them to spend the seven-day phase by trying not to contaminate the others and therefore to have rather an isolation which is done in a rather hotel setting. Isolation is not a compulsory act. Isolation is a proposal that is made according to the person’s living environment: obviously, someone who lives alone, it is not necessary for him to go and isolate himself at the hotel. In this case, we will rather make a service proposal that allows him not to go out and to be able to have access, for example, to a grocery delivery, which allows him to remain isolated at home during this phase when he is the most contagious.
Wasn’t it better to do this massive screening after the Christmas holidays?
There will be two sampling phases: the first, before the end of the year holidays, given the active level of circulation of the virus, it is absolutely necessary. This allows, given the rate of asymptomatics which is very important, to know his state of contagiousness or not. In the aftermath of the holidays, just as it will probably be the case throughout the territory, we will have a second screening campaign which will be offered to the entire population.
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