In terms of barrier gestures, our elected officials are far from setting an example. Yet the coronavirus is still here.
- Many politicians no longer respect barrier gestures.
- A relaxation that worries many specialists.
Do as I say, not as I do. As a second epidemic wave threatens and many countries reconfine, it is clear that our policies ignore barrier gestures. We can thus see the former Minister of Justice, Nicole Belloubet, hugging her successor Éric Dupond-Moretti, even giving him a kiss during his transfer of power.
The accolades were also numerous at the Ministry of the Interior, during the ceremony between Christophe Castaner and Gérald Darmanin.
At the Ministry of Agriculture, the outgoing Didier Guillaume even estimated “that we had the right to everything”while his successor Julien Denormandie rightly pointed out to him that they could not shake hands.
“Do not create a cluster in the National Assembly”
The new Prime Minister, Jean Castex, meanwhile visited the offices of the Bobigny court without wearing a mask, and the faces were mostly uncovered during the promotion of Olivier Dussopt at Bercy. On the side of the National Assembly, Olivier Véran interrupted one of his answers to ask the deputies to put their masks back on their mouths before shouting. “Do not create a cluster in the National Assembly” he ordered, visibly at his wit’s end.
A relaxation that worries many specialists. Éric Caumes, head of the infectious diseases department at Pitié-Salpêtrière (AP-HP), fears “a second wave this summer. At Pitié-Salpêtrière, my Covid unit is full, I had to open another at the start of last week. Cases keep coming. So of course, we see far fewer cases than during the epidemic, but their number is going up a little. Sick people, we never stopped seeing them.”
Barrier measures
“It is essentially our behavior that conditions the resumption of the epidemic: if we want to avoid this, everyone must continue to respect barrier measures, hygiene measures, physical distancing and the wearing of masks, especially in situations of promiscuity and in an enclosed space”recalls Jérôme Salomon, Director General of Health in the columns of the Figaro.
On its website, the Ministry of Health recommends respecting the following barrier gestures:
· Wash your hands very regularly (with soap and water, or hydro-alcoholic gel).
· Cough or sneeze into your elbow or into a tissue.
· Always stay more than one meter apart.
· Use a single-use tissue and throw it away.
· Greet without shaking hands, stop hugging.
· Avoid touching your face, especially your nose and mouth.
· Wear a mask when the distance of one meter cannot be respected.
Since the appearance of the disease at the end of December in China, the coronavirus has killed more than 530,000 people worldwide, according to the latest report from AFP. More than 11 million cases of infection have been diagnosed in 196 countries and territories.
