Protocol against airborne diseases (Covid, Hantavirus, Flus…)

Why a protocol to reduce contamination risks?

• What are the consequences of a COVID infection in 2026?

  COVID is not a simple respiratory infection like a cold, but a generalized vascular affection. It’s a disease that can affect all organs, even vital ones like the heart and brain.

  COVID is not only impacting so-called vulnerable people. The virus attacks the immune system and increases vulnerability, regardless of one’s « good health » status. In 2026, COVID is still being propagated. It is causing less direct deaths, but is a factor in the permanent disabling of thousands of people across the world.

• How is COVID protection a queer and feminist issue?

  Even if COVID impacts everyone, studies show that the most precarious and oppressed people suffer from it most. BIPOC, poor, disabled, trans people have a degraded access to healthcare. We find among the deaths and diseased of long COVID an over-representation of marginalized people.

  The UEEH are an event in which a lot of marginalized people from across the world meet up. We consider that protecting each other collectively is important.

• How is the virus transmitted?

  The COVID virus is airborne, just like the flu virus or the tuberculosis bacterium. It is transmitted through the air that we breathe and share with others.

  When you are infected with COVID, whether you have symptoms or not, you exhale particles containing the virus. These particles linger in the air like invisible cigarette smoke. If an infected person is not wearing a mask in an enclosed room, they can make everyone who enters that room ill. The same thing happens if you are in a large, densely packed crowd outdoors. Risk-reduction measures allow us to take action on several levels;

  • ahead of the event, by taking precautions in the week leading up to the UEEH, by getting tested before attending, and by staying at home if you are unwell.
  • on site, by being mindful of air circulation and air purification, and by wearing an FFP2 mask if you have any symptoms.
  • after the UEEH, by informing the orga if we are ill to warn other people who were on site, and by self-isolating if we are tested positive to avoid contaminating other people in our communities in the following weeks.

In this document, we present the protocol we put in place at the UEEH and the steps we ask people to respect as best as they can.

Before the UEEH: get vaccinated, protect yourself and get tested

• Get vaccinated at least two weeks before the UEEH:

  If you haven’t had a vaccine against COVID in the past six months, there is still time to get one. Currently available vaccines don’t remove all danger, but reduce virus transmission by 30%, and reduce by about 73% (after 3 booster jabs) the risks of long COVID. It takes two weeks for the vaccine to protect yourself well. Therefore, we advise to get a vaccine at the latest at mid-July 2026.

  In France, vaccination is available in pharmacy without a prescription. It is covered at 100% by social security, you only need to pay for the medical act (around 7 euros).

  For more precision on vaccines (in French): https://associationarra.wordpress.com/2025/05/14/faq-vaccins/

• Protect yourself the week before the UEEH:

  Before coming to the UEEH, to avoid falling ill, it is best to avoid risks of infection. We advise to:

  - wear a FFP2 mask in public transportation (train, plane, carpooling).

  - avoid large indoors gathering in the week before you get tested.

  In France, FFP2 can be bought in pharmacies or in hypermarkets.

  They can be reused if we let them air-dry for at least 5 days.

  To get some for free, you can reach out to Mask Blocs in different cities in France.

• Get tested before coming:

  The PCR test (in a lab) is the only reference test to detect COVID.

  Nowadays, in France, it’s reimbursed on prescription only (40 euros without a prescription). Therefore you need to have an appointment with a general practitioner to get a prescription. Results arrive generally in less than 48 hours.

  => It is best to get tested 2 days before leaving for the UEEH.

  There are machines (PlusLife) with which we can have PCR self-tests at home. The result can be read after 35 minutes and costs around 7 euros. To find someone with this machine close to you, here’s a map of pooled machines (in France).

  What we call « antigen tests » are the same tests are the self-tests sold in pharmacies. They are only informative if they are positive, and don’t work if we don’t have symptoms. If you only have access to this kind of test, here’s a guide to make it more reliable (in French).

We ask people who can to get tested if possible:

• For people who requested a room where everyone has been tested, a PCR or PlusLife test is mandatory.
• For people who benefit from French social security and a privileged access to healthcare, it’s good to use that privilege to get a PCR test in a lab.
• If you don’t have social security but live in a big city in France, reach out to a nearby collective that has a PlusLife.
• As a last resort, we ask you to carry out several self-tests, ensuring they are done properly, or to not attend the UEEH if you have symptoms.

If the COVID test is positive or you have a disease that will be contagious during the event Si le test COVID est positif ou que tu as une maladie qui sera contagieuse pendant l’édition (stomach bug, flu, bacteria…) before arriving at the UEEH, don’t come to the UEEH this year.

During the UEEH: restrict virus propagation

Most viruses, such as COVID, influenza and hantavirus, are transmitted through the air we breathe in. The more the air circulates, the less likely it is that the virus will remain suspended in it and enter our bodies.

At the UEEH, we have activities that require some proximity. It is therefore impossible to guarantee zero virus circulation if someone is ill.

This is why the precautions taken beforehand (vaccines, tests, wearing a mask) are protecting us.

That said, there are several means to significantly reduce risks of transmission:

- by preferring outdoors activities.

- by improving indoors air quality.

As best as possible, we encourage large groups to gather outside, in particular assemblies. If those are held inside, it is important to air the rooms (open windows on each side, a window and a door, put a fan in front of the window, etc).

Air purifiers will help reduce risks of contamination in rooms where airing is difficult, like the cafeteria, the reception and the self-organized kitchen.

Some participants and orga members will have CO2 meters, that help see when airing is necessary.

During workshops, we especially encourage people who facilitate discussions to ask, anonymously, if there are people who want mask wearing in the workshop. For instance, everyone closes their eyes. If someone wants that workshops participants wear a mask, they raise their hand.

In case the facilitators forget, we encourage everyone to take the initiative of requesting mask wearing. In some cases, the situation is more complex (eg: someone needs to read lips) and groups will need to adapt.

We will have a stock of FFP2 masks on site, but if you can bring your favourite kind of mask, feel free to do so!

Hand sanitizer will be available in key areas (cafeteria, restrooms…). Basic hygienic rules will allow to reduce propagation of diseases like the stomach bug.

Ill people are exempt from kitchen tasks and are invited to wear a mask and wash their hand regularly.

In case of symptoms during the event

Despite all the precautions, during the event, it happens that we get ill.

In that case, wear a FFP2 mask as soon as the first symptoms show up, eat outside, and inform the orga.

If you have symptoms, it’s not a big deal, we will discuss together of what you prefer to do next. Don’t keep this to yourself and talk about it to people in the orga. We will do a test on site, if it’s positive we will communicate that there is a case of COVID while keeping your identity a secret.

We will not end the event anyway, given the travel distance that some poeple did, and the pressure that would put on the diseased.

Beware, wearing a FFP2 mask does not necessarily mean that someone is ill! We can wear one to protect oneself against viruses and allergies, for anonymity reasons, because it’s sexy…

Therefore, in order not to stigmatize people who wear one, let’s make it a habit not to ask people their reason for wearing a mask, and to consider it like a fashion accessory or an accessibility aid like any other.

After the UEEH

When leaving the UEEH, we advise to watch out for symptoms for a few days. COVID symptoms are fever, cough, unusual fatigue, loss of smell or taste, digestive issues.

When in doubt, it’s best to get tested.

If the test is positive, please inform the UEEH orga by email (contact@ueeh.net).

We will inform other people present during the event so that everyone can get tested.

If you are tested positive, even without symptoms, you are contagious for about 10 days. It is therefore recommended to isolate. If that’s not possible, wearing a FFP2 mask helps not to contaminate others.

Even if the symptoms are not particularly a hindrance at the time, COVID can have adverse effects following infection. One in ten infections develops into Long COVID and can lead to lifelong disability. To minimise this risk, it is advisable to avoid any strain/effort (physical, mental, emotional, etc.) for at least six weeks.

Thanks for reading all this protocol and for helping us make the UEEH a safer space ❤️