With the number of Covid-19 cases and hospitalised patients steadily going down in France, measures put in place for employees during the pandemic will no longer be in force as of 1 February. However, some of these changes have been criticised by groups representing vulnerable members of society.
As the Covid-19 epidemic evolves in France, so do the rules. Exceptional work stoppages, automatic isolation for people who test positive and contact tracing options will no longer be in force from 1st of February.
The General Directorate of Health (DGS) said France was now experiencing a "favorable epidemic context", with less than 16,000 patients currently hospitalised, compared to nearly 25,000 at the end of December.
An official decree, published in the Official Journal on Saturday 28 January effectively "puts an end" to automatic work stoppages which gave rise to the right to compensation without having to get a doctor's certificate.
Created at the start of the Covid health crisis in 2020 "in order to limit the spread of the epidemic", this system had been extended several times.
While the Social Security budget for 2023 provided for the end of this measure at the latest by the end of the year, the government has decided to bring the deadline forward.
No more contact monitoring
The DGS announced in a press release that the "systematic isolation" of positive cases and testing after two days for their contacts "will no longer be required" but will remain "recommended".
The recording of positive test results in the centralised government SI-DEP computer file will now be only with the consent of the patients rather than systematic.
This epidemic monitoring tool is scheduled to be stopped by the end of June.
The follow-up of contact cases, via the Covid contact service managed by the national health insurance agency will cease definitively on Wednesday.
It had already begun to reduce its workforce from 6,500 full-time equivalents in 2021 to 350 in September according to government authorities.
The "TousAntiCovid" application will however continue to store vaccination records or test results.
Vulnerable patients concerned
According to the decree, the part-time work scheme for the most vulnerable employees has been extended for at least one month.
However, an association representing patients with special health needs is concerned that this will not be long enough for people to reintegrate back into full working life, and be a danger to their health.
This partial unemployment measure concerns around 400 people in France.
They are immunocompromised, cardiac or obese patients, particularly exposed to the virus in their workplace and for whom teleworking is complicated or impossible.
They will therefore be able to continue to be paid in part without going to work, at least for an additional month, the Ministry of Health said.
Magali Léo, a representative of Renaloo, an association for kidney patients says this is unfair.
"Immunocompromised patients continue to pay a very heavy price for Covid-19, she told public media site France Info on Tuesday. "They are the ones most often found in intensive care units."
"We're talking about fragile patients who are either sent back either to work on site in a month or else to turn to other options, such as invalidity, incapacity, even work stoppage," she says, which in some cases would mean an end to their career.
She says this partial activity system for the most fragile should be maintained for these patients as long as the Covid-19 threatens them.
On the frontline
Trade unions have in some cases have also expressed concern over the rule changes.
Seeing as Covid will be considered a reason for sick leave like any other illness, there will be a waiting period before the social security will pay daily allowances.
"There is a risk that employees who do not want to lose wages will go to back to work too quickly," Dominique Corona, deputy secretary general of the UNSA union told France Info.
In a separate development, Marlène Schiappa, the Secretary of State for the Social and Solidarity Economy and Associative Life announced on Saturday that 25,000 frontline workers had been given French nationality.
During the Covid-19 crisis, the government launched a specific system for foreign workers called "on the front line". It was intended for home helpers, cashiers, garbage collectors or health professionals in particular.
"They took a step towards the Republic and so it was normal for us, with the Minister of the Interior and President of the Republic, that we take a step towards them," she explained during an interview with France Info.
Still on maximum alert
The World Health Organization on Monday said the Covid-19 pandemic remains a public health emergency of international concern.
"Do not underestimate this virus, it has surprised us and will continue to surprise us and it will continue to kill, unless we do more to provide health facilities to people in need and to fight misinformation in the world. 'global scale', insisted the managing director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
The WHO on Friday identified more than 752 million patients and nearly 7 million dead, according to official figures.
