PARIS (Reuters) – Parisians on their way to the opening of Paris Plages, the annual transformation of sections of the Seine River into man-made beaches, came across a new attraction on Saturday: the COVID-19 test centers.
A number of indicators across the country, including the French capital, have suggested that the virus may be gaining momentum again. Authorities are pushing an aggressive testing policy to prevent a return to peaks seen from March to May.
“In Paris-Plages people have time and really want to know if they have been sick … and there are those who need a certificate to travel on some airlines to go on vacation,” Muriel Prudhomme, doctor and assistant. In the city council health department, she told Reuters that a steady stream of people of all ages was tested.
The artificial beaches on the banks of the Seine in central Paris and the Bassin de la Villette, an artificial lake in the northeast of the city, have been a great success since they were launched by the Mayor of Paris, Bertrand Delanoe, in 2002.
In addition to the sand and architecture views of central Paris, Paris Plage offers sports opportunities like fencing, giant foosball, and outdoor gyms overlooking the Seine, though stricter health restrictions this year have limited some of the activities. . .
Along the banks of the river and Bassin de la Villette, medical teams are now in place at two locations until the end of August and offer standard serological and PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests with a capacity to perform 150 to 200 per day.
“I am taking all the necessary precautions, but there are so many people who don’t seem to mind,” said pensioner Nicole Gressier. “I’m going to see my granddaughter whom I haven’t seen in nine months, so when I was walking around here I saw that it was possible to do a test, why not?”
The disease has killed more than 30,000 people in France. While it’s been under control with deaths and the number of people in intensive care has decreased, daily cases have increased before the summer vacation season as people gather in larger groups and travelers come and go from France without specific quarantine measures.
Kais Arbi, 25, who lives in a northwestern Parisian suburb, took the test knowing that she would be traveling to see her family in Tunis in the coming weeks.
“I did the PCR test to find out my current state of health,” said Arbi, who tested negative. “I don’t want to spread it to another country.”
Report by John Irish; Editing by Hugh Lawson
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