Since January 3, a new health protocol has entered into force and partly concerns the procedure to be followed when one is in contact. Contact persons must now perform two self-tests. These can be obtained free of charge in pharmacies under certain conditions.
Several measures announced by the government entered into force on Monday, January 3, in an attempt to curb the dynamics of the Covid-19 epidemic. This applies to children under 12 years old. Now, if a positive Covid case is detected in a class, the other students will have to be tested three times instead of once.
As a reminder, the Ministry of National Education unveiled on Monday, January 3, some changes in the health protocol put in place since the end of November in the various schools. If a positive Covid-19 case is detected in a class, all students in the class will have to take three tests in five days. The first negative test will allow them to come back to class. “What changes is that now, when the family takes the first test, she will receive two free self-tests at the pharmacy, so that the students can test themselves again at home on D + 2 and D + 4“, specified Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer in the columns of the Parisian, on the eve of the start of the school year. The same procedure will be required for vaccinated teachers. “There will therefore be no isolation of people whose tests are negative,” said Jean-Michel Blanquer.
What is the instruction ?
As the health insurance reminds us “the contact person is given 2 self-tests free of charge at the pharmacy when their immediate test is carried out or when they present themselves at the pharmacy with proof of their immediate screening carried out in the laboratory or in another pharmacy (negative test result) “. But in concrete terms, how do you get these self-tests for free?
- When carrying out the first test (antigen or PCR) in a pharmacy, the pupil’s legal representatives will be given 2 self-tests free of charge. The free delivery must therefore be “automatic”, provided that the pharmacy is not out of stock.
- If Social Security has been able to contact the parents of the pupils with contact cases, which is more and more difficult in the face of the surge in cases, it is necessary “give the pharmacist a sworn certificate justifying being a contact person to receive the self-tests free of charge “. To write the declaration on honor, a certificate has been made available since Tuesday so that those concerned can write this declaration, announced Thomas Fatome.
But when the legal representatives of the contact cases students have not been contacted by a positive person or the health insurance, the school director can provide them with a document attesting to their contact case situation. It is this certificate that will have to be provided in pharmacies to obtain two self-tests free of charge.
Free for certain professionals
Finally, free education applies to certain categories of professionals who work with the elderly and people with disabilities. Are concerned family carers, and employees working in home help services.
On presentation of professional proof, they can obtain 10 self-tests per month, and this without advancing costs. According to the National Health Insurance Fund, this measure affects around 600,000 professionals. It aims to “secure their activity in close contact with people at risk of developing serious forms of Covid-19 “.