Since the first case was identified nine days ago in Quiberon, , health workers have carried out hundreds of tests at a free drive-in facility set up to trace those who may have been in contact with one of the cluster members.
Motorists and pedestrians require no prescription to be tested. The service will remain in place until at least Sunday.
Nightclub at centre of outbreak
The aim is to identify all those who might have been contaminated by contact with one or more of the 80 confirmed carriers, all of them linked to a nightclub attended by an infected bakery worker on the evening of 21 July. The venue has been closed for the next four months.
Face à sa gestion catastrophique de la crise du #COVID19, je demande la démission du Directeur de l’Agence Régionale de Santé de Bretagne.
— Gilles Pennelle (@GillesPennelle) April 9, 2020
Mon communiqué 👇 pic.twitter.com/cJR2hhoYlk
The first round of testing, which focused on those present in the bar that evening, revealed 22 confirmed infections for the 227 people tested – an infection rate of 10 percent.
While the regional health agency admits that this is very high rate, officials have stressed that the outbreak is under control.
Of the 201 tests carried out one day later, only four proved positive. On Monday 27 July, there were six positives among the 300 tested. The 48 other cases in the cluster were directly linked to contact with the infected bakery worker.
18-25s worst hit
Health officials have pointed to the high proportion of young people in this infected group, where 45 percent of those testing positive have been in the 18-25 age division.
The director of the regional health agency, Anne-Briac Bili, says the busy social lives of those in this age group poses an additional risk of contamination.
A dusk-to-dawn curfew is in place for beaches in and around Quiberon. Protective masks must be worn in all crowded areas.
