Will some terraces and some cultural places able to reopen from mid-May as told by Emmanuel Macron and Gabriel Attal? A few days ago, Alain Fischer said he did not know if this goal will be event met. Same call for Dominique Costagliola. The epidemiologist and director of research at the Inserm is pessimistic towards this calendar. Invited on France Inter this April 19, 2021, the latter considers the epidemic is currently on a “high plateau” in France with “about 30,000 cases per day”.
“Be it in hospitals, ICU, or new cases, it seems we are on a high plateau” she said, adding: “we must note a significant decrease in the number of tests, especially in people under 19 years old, making it hard to interpret data”.
Because of this high plateau, Costagliola considers because of the current situation there is “no soon improvement to expect” or even “any decrease” by late May, “all the more so elementary schools are to reopen from [April] 26, and junior highs and high schools, the week after”, the epidemiologist reminded on France Inter.
Furthermore, because of the soon reopening of schools, the director of research at the Inserm recommends extra measures in schools to prevent new contaminations. Among these measures? “Vaccinating staff” or improving “airing”. “These are things that are not always been made so far. The protocol planned for the reopening has been eased in comparison with when they closed. There is no logic in these decisions”, she warned.
