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HEALTH

‘Avoid shaking hands or kissing’: The latest on how France is trying to prevent coronavirus spread

French health chiefs repeated the latest advice for the public on Sunday on how they can best avoid becoming infected or spreading coronavirus. The government has also taken measures to prevent the crisis deepening with the number of cases on the rise.

Published: 1 March 2020 23:11 CET
'Avoid shaking hands or kissing': The latest on how France is trying to prevent coronavirus spread
A man wearing a protective mask shops in the market of Crepy-in-Valois on March 1, 2020, before its evacuation following the outbreak of COVID-19. AFP

READ MORE: Coronavirus latest – Number of confirmed cases in France continues to rise

What can the public do?

On Sunday France's director general of health Jérôme Salomon reminded the public of “simple and effective” actions they can take to avoid catching or indeed spreading the virus.

He stressed there was a need for the public to prevent the virus spreading via hands.

Salomon advised people to greet others at a distance rather than by shaking their hands or kissing them as is the custom in France.

The country's health minister Olivier Veran first advised against shaking hands on Friday.

The health chief stressed the need for people to wash their hands regularly either with soap or special hand sanitiser containing alcohol.

Disposable tissues should be used and then thrown away immediately after use.

People should also sneeze or cough into their elbow rather than hands.

Salomon reminded the public that wearing face masks when out and about was not an answer to avoiding catching the virus because they can't be worn permanently and people are only likely to catch the virus if they spend prolonged and close contact with an infected person.

Masks should be worn by people who have symptoms of the virus or by health professionals.

CLICK HERE for a full list of everyday precautions to take to avoid coronavirus

Avoid unnecessary travel

On Sunday French health chiefs advised the public against any non-essential travel.

“We are doing everything to slow down and bring to a halt the evolution of the virus by reducing the contacts and mingling of the population,” said Director General of Health Jérome Salomon.

“An important reminder; non-essential trips should be delayed especially those to outside the European Union,” he said.

READ ALSO: What you need to know about coronavirus in France

Large enclosed events now banned

On Saturday France took the step of banning large scale indoor events. That meant that “gatherings of more than 5,000 people” in enclosed areas as well as some external events would be scrapped until further notice.

French Health Minister Olivier Veran said the cancellations of external events would affect gatherings in open areas where there would be “intermingling with populations from areas affected by the virus”.

Sunday's Paris half-marathon was also cancelled.

Also cancelled was the final day of the Paris Salon de l'Agriculture – which attracts people from all over France – and the Annecy carnival. Organisers of the Nice carnival had already decided not to stage the final day on Sunday.
 
The weekend programme of French Ligue 1 football matches is unaffected and will go ahead as planned – although the players will not shake hands in line with the latest health advice.

Schools closed in nine towns

 

The centre of the recent outbreak in France is the Oise département in the northern region of Hauts-de-France.

On Monday local authorities said schools in nine towns in the Oise would remain closed. The towns were: Creil, Nogent-sur-Oise, Montataire, Villers-Saint-Paul, Crepy-en-Valois, Vaumoise, Lagny-le-Sec, Lamorlaye and Lacroix-Saint-Ouen.

Locals have been advised not to gather in the towns and to work from home if possible.

Self-isolation for returning travellers

If you have recently returned from China (including Hong Kong and Macau), Singapore, South Korea, Iran or the Lombardy or Veneto regions of Italy, the French government is asking you to self-isolate for 14 days to ensure that you do not have symptoms.

The French authorities are merely advising you to avoid “unnecessary contact” especially with frail people and gatherings and monitor your health and wash hands regularly.

Trips to the shops are not banned, so there is no need to start stockpiling and panic-buying.

Special phone number

A reminder that France has launched a special hotline number so worried members of the public can seek help and advice that is manned 24/7.

The number is 0800 130 000. The emergency number 15 should only be used if the a member of the public believes they are suffering from a medical condition linked to coronavirus.

 

 

 

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HEALTH

The different ways you can make a doctor’s appointment in France

Booking a medical appointment in France can be time-consuming – especially if you are new to the country and are looking for an English-speaking doctor.

Published: 13 May 2024 16:52 CEST
The different ways you can make a doctor's appointment in France

You do not need a carte vitale to book a doctor’s appointment in France – anyone who needs medical help while in the country is entitled to it, but you may not be entitled to any reimbursement if you are not part of the social security system.

Booking a GP’s appointment can be as simple as phoning up your friendly neighbourhood GP, or using an online service such as Doctolib. 

It helps a lot, if you have a médecin traitant – an attending GP, who adds you (and your family, if they can) to their list of patients. 

READ ALSO Explained: How to register with a doctor in France

It is not always easy to find one. Some parts of the country are short of GPs, which means doctors’ lists can fill up very quickly. But it is important that anyone who lives in France is registered with a named GP, especially if they have a carte vitale.

As well as being the main point of contact between patients and the medical profession in all its guises, it is financially responsible to be registered with a GP in France.

Reimbursement on consultations is typically 70 percent through the French healthcare system, but just 30 percent for anyone without a declared doctor. Meanwhile, top-up mutuelle health insurance companies usually require you to declare a médecin traitant and if you don’t, you may not be able to receive reimbursements on certain treatments.

Bear in mind, it is your responsibility to register with a local médecin traitant. But, even after you have done so, you can still make an appointment with any doctor, anywhere in France, and arrange specialist treatment, if you need it. 

READ ALSO 5 things to know about visiting a doctor in France

How do you go about making a GP appointment in France?

There are several options.

Some health centres – more often in larger towns and cities – operate a walk-in policy. But expect waits to be lengthy. Do not, however, assume that your GP operates a system like this.

You can phone for an appointment. This is another very common method. Your GP will have their own system for making appointments – which may even include something that looks, to the uninitiated, very much like a casual walk-in policy. 

Some may have an assistant to deal with booking appointments and other administration. Others may deal with appointments themselves, and may – for example – operate some sort of triage system based on voice messages from patients. 

What about online booking systems?

And many practitioners are now attached to websites, such as Doctolib. As of 2023, about half of all GP appointments in France were made using Doctolib.

READ ALSO How to use: French medical website Doctolib

Be aware that other online booking systems are available. Doctolib is one of the best known, but your GP may be attached to another system, like the health ministry approved site ‘LeMedecin.Fr’.

This website also has a feature where you can take an immediate online consultation with whatever doctor is available at that moment. By clicking ‘Consultez en vidéo maintenant’ you will be connected to the next doctor who is free. This option may involve an additional charge between €5-10 on top of the price of the consultation, and you will be expected to pay when booking.

If you have any trouble with either of these websites, you can go through the list of registered generalists per département on the ‘Ameli’ website. If you use this option, you will need to call the doctor to see if they are open or available for appointments.

In terms of wait times, online systems have helped to significantly reduce the delay between booking and getting an appointment.

According to a 2023 study by Doctolib, about half of all GP appointments were available within three days from the time of booking on their platform.

Similarly, you can use online platforms to check the medical professional’s qualifications and languages spoken, as well as filter based on the doctor’s English abilities. However, this should be taken with a grain of salt because not every medical professional with English listed on their Doctolib page speaks fluent English. 

An increasing number of doctorsoffer video consultations, known as télémédecine in France. This allows professionals – particularly those in more rural areas – to diagnose less serious conditions remotely. This type of consultation is usually only available from those medical practices that are attached to online booking systems. 

Some pharmacies have also begun offering walk-in télémedicine consults, using ‘Medadom’ machines. More information here.

What about specialists?

In France, you book your own consultations with specialists, even if you are referred by a doctor (your GP may offer a recommendation, but won’t always). The good news is that many specialists do use online booking services. Those that do not usually have assistants to take care of the appointments.

READ ALSO: Urgent care: How to get non-emergency medical treatment in France

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