Christmas this year will unquestionably be different to the celebrations we are usually accustomed to, as MPs gathered in the Chamber of Deputies on Thursday to vote on the latest amendments to the Covid-19 laws. Festivities are restricted to immediate households and a maximum of two guests allowed to assist those who otherwise live alone.
For those who wish to see family despite the regulations, the Ministry of Health has issued a reminder of the risk of infection, as well as advice on how to reduce infection through contact with others.
The mantra is well-known to all by now - keep a physical distance, wear a mask, wash your hands, and ventilate rooms as much as possible.
This week, the Ministry of Health published a series of simulations showing how different situations can affect the risk of infection. The risk increases depending on the number of people and the length of time spent together indoors without observing safety measures.
In one hypothesis, a family celebration in a 25-square-metre room, lasting five hours, a person with Covid and not wearing a mask can infect two people, even if they maintain a distance of 2 metres, and keep the windows cracked open. If the room is properly ventilated and the person wears a mask, the risk of infection is halved.
Properly airing out a room is vital to decreasing the number of virus droplets in the air, which can be passed on regardless of the 2 metre distance. It is worth remembering that the droplets are produced through talking, singing, or simply breathing.
The risk of infection increases the longer the celebration lasts, with the air concentration increasing if a family is gathered around the dinner table, for example. The simulation showed that a room without ventilation resulted in 4 out of 5 people becoming infected by the virus over a period of 4 hours.
To reduce the risk, FFP2 masks are recommended for vulnerable people, while it is also worth noting that the weather forecast is predicted to be dry over the next few days, meaning delayed outdoor celebrations might be a better and safer option.
The Max Planck-Insitute in Germany published an algorithm in November which allows people to calculate their personal infection risk in a situation.
The number of Covid tests conducted as part of the large scale testing scheme has risen over the last few days for both PCR and rapid testing, as people seek reassurances over their state of health. However, experts say the result should be considered as valid for just 24 hour, meaning a negative Covid test is not necessarily a free licence to break the sanitary rules.
Other countries have sought alternative advice, with the German physicist and virologist Dr Viola Priesemann suggesting social bubbles made up of just two households who then limit outside contact over the holidays. Despite this, the notion of celebrating Christmas or New Year with other people should generally be discouraged, according to experts.
We wish you all a safe and merry Christmas and New Year.
