“The government announces the procedures for recognizing workers with Covid-19 as occupational diseases” who “will be facilitated to avoid complex recognition procedures for workers who have had a strong probability of having been infected with Covid-19 in the course of their professional activity”, announced last June Olivier Véran, Minister of Health and Muriel Pénicaud, Minister of Labour, in a joint press release.
The Decree specifying the conditions of this recognition should be published in the days, even the hours, which come.
100% covered care
Decree provides for two different schemes, one for carers and equivalent personnel, the second for other workers.
For caregivers with a severe form of the disease that required oxygen therapy, Covid-19 will be automatically and systematically recognized as an occupational disease. Should be concerned: “all caregivers in health and medico-social establishments, non-caregivers working face-to-face in these structures as well as people providing transport and support for patients with Covid-19”, says the Ministry of Health. For other forms of the disease, they will have to go before a committee of experts.
This recognition as an occupational disease makes it possible to benefit from 100% care coverage by Health Insurance.
Many professions at risk
On April 3, in full confinement, the Academy of Medicine estimated in a press release that the Covid-19 disease should be recognized as an occupational disease. Indeed, while the majority of the French were confined, the garbage collectors, cashiers, security agents, transport, handlers and of course the nursing staff continued to work. And therefore, to expose themselves to the risk of contracting the coronavirus.
But to benefit from recognition as an occupational disease, workers in these other sectors will have to demonstrate that the disease was indeed contracted at their place of work.
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