Frédéric Bierry, president of the department of Bas-Rhin. Strasbourg on January 14, 2020. – G. Varela / 20 Minutes
” The government announcement this Thursday afternoon want to maintain the deconfinement of the red departments. This is pure madness! “, threw
Frédéric Bierry, President of the Bas-Rhin Departmental Council, which calls for a strategy of
deconfinement “Differentiated” and “adapted to the context” in Alsace.
He cites an epidemiological study whose “results are terrible” in case of deconfinement, even with the precautions of masks, tests and barrier gestures. “This study shows that the absolute risk is to suffer a new health catastrophe with new deaths. Only strict accompanying sanitary rules adapted to the territories can be the safeguard of the pandemic “, alarmed Frédéric Bierry.
Masks in insufficient availability
“Here in Alsace, the first region hit hard by the coronavirus epidemic, we are clearly not ready to suffer the violence of a second wave,” he insists, adding that “the Alsatian health situation is highly precarious ”. The president of the Bas-Rhin departmental council therefore considers “inconceivable” a “uniform blind deconfinement where the difference between red and green zones is as thick as a sheet of cigarette paper”.
Frédéric Bierry therefore offers several avenues for deconfining the region by limiting the risks: according to him, there must be “a date for the deconfinement of Alsatians inseparable from guaranteed availability of masks”, masks compulsory for all in public spaces and free for the most fragile.
“Do not confuse speed and precipitation”
It is also necessary to use massive tests, regular weekly tests for all categories of caregivers, and business tests in compliance with the Labor Code with the support of occupational medicine.
Frédéric Bierry is still calling for a coordinated system of reservations in public transport to avoid heavy traffic and to adapt the opening of schools to the capacity of mayors to put in place barrier measures. Finally, he recommends that telework should be given maximum priority until further notice when possible.
“The Alsatians must be insured and reassured by a progressive and differentiated deconfinement”, continues Frédéric Bierry. “Getting this step right is key to saving lives and preserving the economic recovery to come. “The fight will be long, so let’s not confuse speed and precipitation,” he concludes.
