do bars and nightclubs promote contamination?

In France, the smooth running of this eagerly awaited summer is already disrupted by the explosion of contaminations attributed to the Delta variant of Covid-19. On Friday, the number of new positive cases stood at 24,309. And the epidemic is blazing particularly in tourist departments, where the circulation of the virus is particularly favored by gatherings in bars and nightclubs. This is what the result of a study published Friday by Santé Publique France suggests.

“What places did you go to just before you got sick?” To this question asked by Health Insurance, nearly 3,000 people infected last week respond to a bar or a nightclub. They are almost three times less to mention private meetings, and four times less to mention restaurants.

“Wearing a mask is more complicated”

“The interpretation that we can have is that these places are more frequented by the population within the framework of the holidays, but also can be a place where the respect of the barrier gestures, and in particular the wearing of the mask, is more complicated “, analysis for Europe 1 Frédéric Moisan, epidemiologist at Public Health France.

In these establishments, “people are standing, moving, drinking and not wearing a mask,” adds Frédéric Moisan. “We assume that contamination is easier in these places.”

Bars soon subject to the health pass

Also, “you have to be aware that going to a bar or a nightclub means going to a place that can present a risk, so you have to be attentive, either to be outside, or, as soon as you have a doubt, do not associate with them to try to preserve the others “, calls the expert.

The study does not say whether these people were infected or contaminated in a bar or nightclub. As a reminder, discos are already subject to the health pass while bars will be from August 9.