The Prince’s Government has established a dedicated unit responsible for caring for Covid-19 patients who have mild symptoms and are confined to their homes.
As is the case with Prince Albert and Minister of State Serge Telle, Monaco’s health authorities are advising patients who test positive for Covid-19 but who suffer with few symptoms to confine themselves at home while being followed medically.
Only patients suffering severe symptoms of Covid-19 are hospitalised.
Hence, the establishment of the Home Patient Monitoring Centre, the aim of which is to free-up hospital services and provide care for Monaco’s patients in a flexible and comfortable way.
The unit makes direct contact with the patients concerned, and is responsible for ensuring their comfort and for dealing with requests for medical and logistical assistance. The patient being monitored can contact the unit at any time.
The teams are made up of staff from the Health Action Department, doctors, social workers, volunteers from the Monaco Red Cross, CHPG medical secretaries and psychologists.
The Home Patient Monitoring Centre has been active since 23rd March and now cares for 47 patients.
St. Paul’s Anglican Church has started making online videos of their weekly sermons in English, so parishioners don’t have to miss out during the lockdown.
As the Christian world approaches their most hallowed time of year, the Easter season, St Paul’s Anglican Church in Monaco has adapted to the confinement regulations by making YouTube videos of their services.
The latest is a 24-minute video of the Mass of the Annunciation on the 25th of March showing the parish presbyter, Father Lawrence, addressing the camera and giving comfort to those who cannot attend their usual services due to lockdown.
For those who have not visited St Paul’s, it is an unassuming, pretty church dedicated in 1925, aptly sitting on Avenue Grande Bretagne. The interior has three beautiful stained glass window panels depicting biblical scenes.
Normally, it is host to many events, concerts and gatherings, but as the lockdown no longer permits these kind of get-togethers, the church has cleverly improvised. The church has officially been closed since the 15thof March.
Monaco Life is committed to keeping everyone safe and healthy – both mentally and physically – during this unprecedented time. We also see the importance in highlighting local businesses and services in Monaco that are useful during the current crisis. One of those is Gavin Sharpe, a UK qualified psychotherapist and Monaco resident.
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As the world adjusts to its new normal, the Principality of Monaco is no exception. We are waking up to a world where access to our beautiful public parks, beaches and gardens is closed. Our streets are deserted. Our construction sites stand still. The silence is almost deafening. How can we stay emotionally resilient while our Principality is in lockdown?
Get in touch with emotions
In staying emotionally healthy, we first need to get in touch with our emotions. As a therapist I realise that “getting in touch with emotions” is one of those throwaway lines that often infuriates others. What does it mean? If I am raging with fury as my stock market portfolio tanks, is it really helpful to get in touch with my anger? Shouldn’t I protect my loved ones from my fear that we might run out of money?
It means that we connect with our moods. It means we take time to understand what’s happening in our bodies. During this crisis, the more connected we are to ourselves (and our loved ones), the more resilient we will be in riding it. I might be British but this is no time for stiff upper lip behaviour. This is a time for connection. To ourselves and others. We should not mistake physical isolation with emotional isolation.
Why does this stuff matter? It matters because if we do not acknowledge the emotional impact of this crisis, we increase the likelihood of experiencing emotional and physical illness (irrespective of the coronavirus). To be out of touch with our emotions requires us to use a certain amount of energy to supress them. That leaves us more susceptible to anxiety and depression which ironically can be the very emotions that we are trying to avoid. The more we avoid ourselves, the more our bodies become like internal pressure cookers. We become irritable. We become passive-aggressive. We explode periodically. Our bodies can only tolerate so much stress and our immune system begins to weaken.
How can you get in touch with your emotions? Try some of these daily techniques.
Body scan – Different parts of the body hold our emotions. Feelings in our stomach and upper chest often relate to fear, sensations in the lower chest indicate pain. Spend about 10 minutes each day being mindful about your body. What do you notice? (Print a body-emotions chart off the internet to guide you).
Name your emotions – As uncomfortable or cliched as it might feel, I invite all of us to look in the mirror each morning and ask ourselves “How do I feel?”. Sure, you might feel stupid at first but keep going until you get in touch with your inner emotions. (Print an emotions sheet from the internet).
Thoughts – This is one of the best ways to capture what’s happening for you. Capture your internal dialogue throughout the day. Are you cursing under your breath? Are you blaming others? What do your thoughts tell you about your moods?
Anxiety
During these challenging times, one emotion we will all experience is anxiety. We should acknowledge it or as the modernists say, we should lean into it. I often ask clients whether they can “give themselves permission” to experience their emotions. As a rule of thumb, men struggle more with this than women. Men are taught to be strong and often associate emotions with weakness. (Note to men: ask your spouses if they would like you to show more vulnerability or to be more secretive and closed off and you will get the idea.)
Can you give yourself permission (without judgment) to be anxious? Can you walk into the kitchen and tell your spouse on a scale of 1 to 10 how anxious you feel? Can you teach your kids to do the same? If it helps, try not to see anxiety as good or bad.
We need to feel this lockdown. The worst response right now is to deny our anxiety. Equally we want not to be ruled by it. Let’s try and share how we feel with friends and family. We must stay connected during this period. When we share our emotions with our loved ones, we feel connected. It’s the definition of intimacy. If there was ever a time when we needed to experience intimacy, I would argue that time is now.
Negative Thoughts
Many of us will understandably be plagued with negative thoughts about the impact and consequences of the coronavirus. We need to zap our excessive stream of negative thoughts and prevent them from spiralling out of control. Those thoughts are often involuntary and keep us feeling depressed. Negative thinking is usually thinking that is based on some facts but has gone awry.
These are the common types of negative thinking.
All-or-Nothing Thinking: “Covid-19 is a disaster. I have to manage this crisis perfectly. If I don’t, I am weak and will let down the family.”
Focusing on the negatives:“Nothing ever goes my way. This coronavirus crisis will wipe out my business.”
Negative selfbelief: “I’m a failure. I should have planned for an event like this and broadened our investments. I am flawed.”
Catastrophising:“The Covid-19 crisis will kill me and/or my family.”
In the four examples above, there is a high probability that you were already predisposed to thinking like this. This way of thinking has become automatic. It leads to anxiety, depression or even addiction.
During these difficult times, we need to capture and challenge our negative thoughts.
Cognitive behavioural therapy is a type of therapy built on the premise that the way we think affects the way we feel. Changing unhelpful thoughts is the key to feeling better. It is a powerful short-term method.
To be clear, the idea is not that we shouldn’t worry or own our fears. The idea is not for us to bury our heads in the Monaco sand (when the beach opens) and become card carrying snowflakes. These are scary times. But if you have begun to catastrophise the situation, it’s a sign that your negative thinking is out of control.
If it’s helpful, ask yourself what facts do you have that support or challenge your initial thought? When a client shared with me that she thought she would lose all her money as a result of the crisis, she omitted to tell me that her bank had offered her full support. So, there was some accuracy to her fear but she was also ignoring facts to the contrary. Are your negative thoughts accurate? What facts have you chosen to leave out that might contradict your worst fears?
It can also be helpful to distinguish between real and hypothetical worries. It is a real worry if you need to buy medicine today. It is hypothetical to worry about running out of toilet paper in June. Similarly, “What if we all die?” is hypothetical. Are you worrying about things that do not currently exist, but which might happen in the future?
Finally
Living in Monaco can feel like we are already vaccinated against the world’s problems. It’s one of the many privileges. For many of the clients I work with, there has almost been an additional layer of anxiety in realising that we are not immune.
Many of us are expats. We are far from our extended families. We may have elderly parents in other countries. We are having to come to terms with feelings of anger, pain and helplessness.
Our Principality looks and feels different today. That might make us anxious. Perhaps there is a sense of loss. The Big Apple doesn’t have a monopoly on a city that doesn’t sleep. Living in a city that is home to Sass and Jimmyz and has a curfew seems surreal. We should be used to change. Every day I see a new crane that wasn’t there before! But this much change feels different.
At times like these, we are often drawn to what connects us in life rather than what separates us. We share something in common. We are waking up to a new Monaco. We have the power to choose how we process the feelings that are stirred up as a result. Getting in touch and sharing those feelings will inoculate us against the inevitable Covid-19 rollercoaster that no doubt has many more emotional highs and lows.
The holocaust survivor and psychologist Viktor Frankl wrote: “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way”.
We all have the choice how to respond. How will you choose?
Gavin Sharpe is a UK qualified psychotherapist, relationship/psychosexual therapist and executive coach. The thoughts and opinions expressed in this article are his own, and not necessarily those of Monaco Life. Gavin Sharpe can be reached at www.rivierawellbeing.com.
Gavin has started a weekly group on Tuesdays at 12pm to 1pm – an informal gathering which Gavin moderates and where people can share ideas, thoughts and feelings about the lockdown. Note: it is not group therapy. It is intended as a community building initiative.
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No additional beds necessary says Minister of State
The Minister of State, Serge Telle, has confirmed the CHPG is capable of handling the spike in coronavirus cases in Monaco, indicating there is no need to establish a makeshift hospital, as called for by the National Council.
The Minister gave an interview to Monaco Matin in which he addressed the preparedness of the hospital, saying that whilst the worst is still yet to come, the current 40 beds in the intensive care unit should be more than enough to get through.
“Statistics have shown that somewhere between 4% and 5% of infected people need respiratory aid, and only 2% to 3% need resuscitation. If these numbers hold, then the spike in Monaco’s patient load would need to be well over a thousand before any the health facilities would be overwhelmed,” said the minister.
He also applauded the administration and hospital staff for carrying on despite the dangers and commented on how they “have been remarkable in their effectiveness.”
The minister, who is currently in throes of Covid-19, has been confined to his home without his wife or children, yet has been able to carry on working via phone and computer. Tele-conferencing and emails have been his lifeline and he conceded that “telework works well.”
The illness for him has been less severe and has not affected his ability to lead the government, he says, and make the necessary difficult decisions required during a crisis situation. If all goes well, he will be back at his desk by the 1st of April.
SBM has now closed the doors of all of its hotels in Monaco except the Hôtel de Paris and the Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel & Resort, which are accommodating long-term guests and those who are unable to return home.
In accordance with the directives of the Prince’s Government, Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer (SBM) closed the doors of its casinos, restaurants, bars and wellness centres on Saturday 14th March at midnight.
With the exception of the Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel & Resort – which was closed during off-season – the group’s hotels have all remained in operation providing accommodation to customers who could no longer return home.
But on Monday 23rd March, SBM took new measures to protect its customers and employees, closing the doors of the Méridien Beach Plaza. Guests were re-accommodated at the Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel & Resort.
Monaco’s “grande dame”, the Hermitage Hotel Monte-Carlo, has also been closed until 30th April – a date which could change according to the situation. All guests of the Hermitage were re-accommodated at the Hôtel de Paris at no extra charge.
The Monte-Carlo Beach, currently in seasonal closure, remains closed until further notice.
“During this period, the Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo and the Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel & Resort remain open to ensure continuity of service for our short-term customers, long-stay customers and residential customers, as well as those in the apartments and villas,” said SBM in a statement. “A minimum room service is provided at the Hôtel de Paris 24 hours a day. All regulatory safety and health measures are strictly applied to protect our customers and our employees.”
All of SBM’s casinos, restaurants and bars – those inside and outside its hotels, as well as wellness centres and the Sporting Monte-Carlo also remain closed until further notice.
“In this unprecedented situation not seen in 150 years of history, our top priority is the safety of our customers and our employees,” said SBM Deputy Chairman Jean-Luc Biamonti. “These new measures are being taken in this direction in order to ensure continuity of service for our customers and the Principality of Monaco.”
Future reservations at SBM hotels can only be made for after 30th April 2020. Fairmont Hotel Monte-Carlo, courtesy Fairmont Hotel
The decision to close has been taken by all of the Principality’s main hotels. The Fairmont Hotel is not accepting guests until after 30th April, the Port Palace is only taking bookings for 16th April onwards, the Hotel Ambassador Monaco and Novotel Monte-Carlo are not accepting guests until 1st May, and the Columbus Monte-Carlo will reopen on 16th April.
The National Council of Monaco says it aims to keep the Condamine and Monte-Carlo markets open throughout the current crisis, despite the closure of all food markets this week across France.
In a statement released on Thursday 26th March, the council said: “We can understand that for certain areas, especially in Ile-de-France, the configuration of sites and certain overflows justify the closing of markets. On the contrary, in Monaco – as with all our food stores – all the health security and distancing measures are scrupulously respected.”
The council says it supports the continued operation of food markets in Monaco, adding, “Our markets are essential supply points for fruits, vegetables and other foodstuffs”.
The council has shared a map of the Condamine and Monte-Carlo markets, indicating which merchants are performing home deliveries and providing contact numbers.
Retrouvez l’emplacement et le numéro de téléphone de chaque commerçant du Marché de la Condamine et du Marché de Monte-Carlo proposant la livraison à domicile en cliquant sur chacun des plans (Halle et extérieur du Marché de la Condamine, et Marché de Monte-Carlo). pic.twitter.com/cC2UyqwxqZ
