A few days before the end of the year celebrations, the Scientific Council has delivered its recommendations for the festivities. What health measures should be applied during family reunions to limit the spread of Covid-19 and the Omicron variant? We take stock of what is authorized or not during the Christmas or New Year meal.
- It is recommended to avoid large gatherings and to limit the number of people during family meals to reduce the risk of contamination.
- In addition to “a complete vaccination schedule”, the most useful gesture to protect loved ones is screening. It is advisable to get tested through a self-test or an antigen test before going to family gatherings.
- Wearing a mask and airing rooms are essential actions to limit the spread of the virus during the end-of-year holidays.
Faced with the fifth epidemic wave and the threat of the Omicron variant, the Ministry of Health published, on December 13, the recommendations of the Scientific Council for the end of year celebrations. The consultative body recommends to be extra careful as the festivities approach because “The coming weeks should be marked by an increase in hospital admissions.” To limit Covid-19 contamination and prevent family gatherings from turning into “clusters”, the Scientific Council has detailed the measures to be applied in the private sphere during the end-of-year celebrations.
Limit the number of people
The advisory body strongly recommended “immediately renounce any collective gathering in an enclosed place where wearing a mask is not possible or appropriate to the format, in particular all gatherings with the consumption of drinks and food.” She also advised the French to limit the number of people during family gatherings “Christmas meal type” and to ensure that their fragile loved ones have received a booster dose.
Getting tested, the most useful gesture
The Scientific Council stressed that the most useful gesture to best protect those close to you, “in addition to a complete vaccination schedule”, is to be screened, either by a self-test on the same day or by an antigenic test, the day before or the same day of the event. “The organizers of these festivities could thus very usefully organize the self-test, by buying them and making them available as soon as the participants arrive”, can we read in the notice published by the Ministry of Health.
Mask up and ventilate the rooms
The most vulnerable or unvaccinated people are advised to wear a mask during family gatherings. Another barrier gesture to be applied seriously: the ventilation of the rooms. It is recommended to open the windows for at least 10 minutes every hour or permanently, if possible, during family gatherings in order to reduce the risk of contamination. The advisory body also recalled that hand washing and surface disinfection were essential actions to limit the spread of the virus.
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