Slowing the circulation of the virus

 On Monday the Prefect of Nouvelle Aquitaine spoke to introduce further measures to slow the epidemic in the Gironde. There was nothing that stopped the church meeting, especially in our new configuration os small groups at the church and in two homes.

However, our friends who planned to marry at the beginning of October with over 100 guests have had to cancel their wedding reception and plan quickly something much smaller in the satellite town of Libourne. They have reacted with admirable flexibility and resolve.

Now the Health Minister is speaking. His tone is so good. It is hard to get tested just now because the government promised a free test for anyone who wanted one. This has led, understandably, to bottlenecks in the laboratories. So after thanking French people for their patience and their understanding, he has introduced a system of priority testing for people who show symptoms or who havebeen alerted that they have been in contact with the virus. Other people who just want to be tested, he explained, will face a wait. He explained, too, that a test does not prevent infection.

Here's the rules for a week's quarantine:

Seven days from the appearance of the symptoms if you're ill.

Seven days from a positive test if you are asymptomatic.

Seven days from being alerted that you have been in contact - then get tested.

There is some push-back to the masks in France because it is believed that if you breathe in your own carbon-dioxide then you will suffer health problems, in addition to the moxious toxins which you breathe out all the time. It's a wonder surgeons don't all drop dead, no?