“It’s going to be a Picard dish in front of Netflix”: These young people who, contact or positive, will spend Christmas alone

With the fifth wave and the arrival of the Omicron variant, the Covid-19 is once again playing a role in the festivities. A few days before Christmas, it’s a cold shower for all those declared positive or contact cases when they were planning to join their loved ones for the holidays.

“Obviously I’m sad. It’s not really Christmas, explains Alexandre, positive this Tuesday for Covid-19, at LCI. Usually this period is sharing, family. There, it’s going to be a Picard dish in front of Netflix. “ This 35-year-old Parisian was thinking of leaving for Lyon to find his parents and his sister. As a precaution on the day of departure, he decided to get tested at the pharmacy but learned, a few hours later, that he had contracted the virus without having any symptoms. “I don’t understand where I got it. I’m being super careful and had my third dose last week, he recounts. It’s really bad luck. “

Two years ago, Alexandre was stranded in Paris due to a transport strike, already missing New Years Eve with his family. “Rebelotte this year what”, he plants, in a laugh. To console himself, “we are thinking of doing a FaceTime and I asked them to keep some log in the freezer”, slips Alexandre, anxious not to “not to infect his parents”.

In the west of France, Romain, in his thirties, will also spend Christmas on his own. On Monday, a friend of hers he met over the weekend tested positive for the Omicron variant. In case of contact, he must therefore isolate himself for a week as indicated by social security for all people not living in the home of the infected person. “I am disgusted, lets go of the Breton. We don’t get to see each other much with my parents, so now was the time. “ Again the young man “be very careful”, being a college professor. “But you know, all it takes is an aperitif or two to forget the barrier gestures”, he admits, smirking.

If he spends New Year’s Eve alone, Romain does not intend to give up on Christmas dinner. “My sister is going to buy me something nice to eat in front of a movie.” Same method for Max, declared positive for Covid-19 since Monday. “My brother is going to drop me off a package on the evening of the 24th”, He tells us, disappointed but somewhat philosophical. “It’s for the good of my loved ones. We’re starting to get used to parties and different events.” Last year, the young man had woken up in “very small committee”.

Others, like Clara, 28, will be released from their isolation on D-Day, December 25. “I’m going to have to run to a drugstore to get tested before maybe I can join some of my family and finish celebrating Christmas with them.” But there again, precautions of setting. “I will stand in a corner, with my mask on, for fear of infecting anyone”, she warns.

On average, 50,000 contaminations are detected daily in France, i.e. as many people requested to isolate themselves at home to avoid any contact. If we do the math, over a week, more than 300,000 people will theoretically have to celebrate Christmas alone this year.