Joe Biden is calling on building owners and managers to improve indoor air quality to limit the spread of the virus. And in France ? The Ministry of Health still reminds us how to wash your hands well…
Better late than never. The administration of Joe Biden “calls on all building owners and operators, schools, colleges and universities, and organizations of all kinds to adopt key strategies to improve indoor air quality in their buildings and reduce the spread of Covid- 19″, in a statement released Thursday evening.
To fight against the circulation of this virus, the United States therefore decided to attack the heart of the problem. Because, it should be remembered after two years of pandemic, the transmission of Sars-CoV-2 is essentially airborne. It takes place in closed, poorly ventilated places, where the mask is not worn.
To improve indoor air quality, Joe Biden lists four priorities for building owners and managers: “create a clean indoor air action plan”, “optimize fresh air ventilation”, “improve air filtration and cleaning”, “engage the building community”. In public buildings, the American government works in particular on “heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems […]with the purchase of portable air filtration units, HEPA air filters and fans, as well as the repair of windows and doors”.
Decrease exposure to the virus
It’s all part of the post-pandemic US recovery plan, for which several hundred billion dollars have been released. Joe Biden’s goal is to prepare for a long-term life with Covid-19 without having to go through confinements, but by trying to reduce the exposure of his fellow citizens to the virus.
And in France ? The action of Emmanuel Macron’s government suffers from comparison. He still downplays the importance of airborne transmission of Covid-19. No later than this Friday morning, the account Twitter from the Ministry of Health has published yet another spot in favor of hand washing. A consequence of having chosen Didier Pittet, the inventor of the hydroalcoholic gel, as president of the mission to assess the French anti-Covid policy.
France is not out of the Covid-19 rut. While the mask has fallen in most public places (except transport) since March 14, the epidemic has started to rise again. The incidence over seven rolling days exceeds 740 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. The number of hospital admissions has started to rise again (1,000 per day) and the country still deplores more than 100 daily deaths with Covid-19.
Faced with this, the government is betting on a fourth dose of vaccine, which has just opened for those over 80, as well as on individual responsibility. Clearly, wear the mask if you are at risk or in case of contact. By thus exonerating itself from any responsibility in the implementation of a collective health response.