In his recent speech, President Emmanuel Macron indicated that schools will reopen their doors from May 11, 2020. Patrick Bouet, President of the Council of the National Order of Physicians believes that no medical data justifies such a decision.
Should schools really reopen on May 11, the date of the announced end of confinement? The President of the Republic has already announced this on April 13 during his televised address. For the Head of State, it is a question of limiting the impact of confinement on disparities in educational level. In other words, it is a question of not letting the situation generate excessive inequalities among students.
If the president's justification seems acceptable, deconfining the school environment first would absolutely not be justified from a medical point of view . This opinion is that of Patrick Bouet, President of the Council of the National Order of Physicians, interviewed in an article in Le Figaro published on April 15, 2020.
Recall that schools, colleges, high schools and other universities were the first structures to close their doors even before the application of the containment. This had been the case for two reasons. The first:children are known to embody potential vectors without being sick themselves (asymptomatic). The second:in schools, enforce barrier gestures (distances, hygiene etc.) is very complicated.
Thus, Patrick Bouet believes that reopening schools on the 11th is "an absolute lack of logic". This would mean putting the virus back into circulation , an obviously dangerous initiative. For the expert, it would be better to focus on preparing for the start of the new school year in September and ensuring a return in the best possible conditions.
You have to realize that very young people represent a very small proportion of hospitalized people. According to figures from Public Health France as of April 7, 2020, 110 young people under the age of 15 were among 29,721 patients treated at the hospital. They were also 32 in intensive care (out of 7,059 patients). In other words, serious cases and deaths are very rare in the very young. In addition, children have twice as many positive tests as adults . And when they show symptoms, the severity is generally less than in adults.
While the issue of asymptomatic children remains of great concern, various studies report a different potential transmission dynamic in them. A study launched on April 14 should be able to see more clearly. Called Coville, it concerns 600 children having consulted in paediatrics in the Ile-de-France region. A first group will be made up of individuals showing clinical signs compatible with Covid-19 infection and a second, children showing no symptoms. This is to detect positive children from PCR and serological tests . Finally, it will be necessary to wait another one or two months before knowing these results which could make it possible to know more about the risk linked to the reopening of schools.
