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Month: April 2020

Princess Charlene Foundation offering free masks to public

by: Stephanie Horsman
16/04/2020

Representatives of the Princess Charlene Foundation have taken to the streets offering protective medical masks to the public free of charge. Even Mayor Georges Marsan joined in, distributing the masks at various points around the city on Wednesday.

The initiative was the brainchild of Princess Charlene and her brother Gareth Wittstock, Secretary General of the Princess Charlene Foundation, who wanted to provide high quality protection to Monaco’s residents against the coronavirus.  

The 5,000 masks were made by Italian firm SCICON Sports, a leading maker of cycling bags and protective eyewear, who have pivoted their focus from sport to public health during the crisis.

The masks are made of a high-performance fabric, and though time has not permitted them to receive formal official ratings, they comply with the most rigid standards of protection. The masks can be washed up to 40 times in water as hot as 60ºC without significant degradation.

They feature the #strongtogether slogan being promoted in the Principality. This encouraging message of “unity and solidarity” has been pushed by both the Princess and HSH Prince Albert II during the health crisis.

Photo: Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation

Volunteers distributed the masks at the Condamine market, Fontvieille Shoppong Centre, and at several food-related businesses and places of interest with the blessing of and help from the Monaco City Council. Foundation Ambassadors such as Monegasque Formula One champion Charles Leclerc and world champion free diver Pierre Frolla have also joined in the campaign.

The Princess Charlene Foundation’s representatives reminded the public that wearing a mask was no substitute for respecting the rules of lockdown. They emphasised that social distancing regulations must still be complied with despite the added protection.

 
 
 

First Monaco resident succumbs to Covid-19

by: Stephanie Horsman
16/04/2020

Monaco has seen its first death of a resident from the coronavirus. The person, aged 72-years, passed away on Wednesday.

The victim is the third casualty linked to Covid-19 in the Principality, and the first actual resident to die of the virus since the start of the pandemic.

The two other victims were being treated at the CHPG but were not residents of Monaco.

The government says it has reached out to the family and loved ones of the latest victim, offering support during this time of sadness.  

On a positive note, Monaco on Wednesday again recorded no new cases of Covid-19, keeping the number of those who have tested positive for the virus at 93. A total of 12 people have been given the all-clear, doubling the number of those who have recovered since the previous day.   

Nine patients still remain in hospital with two being in intensive care, though the lion’s share of those affected are being treated at home through Monaco’s Home Monitoring Centre. Currently, 108 people are being looked after by this method.

 
 

Fourth Joint Monitoring Committee meeting results

by: Stephanie Horsman
16/04/2020

The fourth meeting of the Covid Joint Monitoring Committee between the Prince’s government and the National Council was held Wednesday, focusing on decisions made and to be taken in this next phase of crisis management.

The government and National Council had a free flow exchange regarding the health situation and the supply of medical equipment available in the Principality at their latest meeting held on 15th April. The government confirmed that, after consultation with the Council, they were in the process of purchasing reusable fabric masks from Monegasque company Bettina. The company has agreed to supply 80,000 Army Health Service certified masks per month.

Information regarding serological tests was also discussed in terms of acquisition.  

Both entities shared views on added measures to support businesses and safeguard jobs during the lockdown. The government would like to see a continual adaptation to the changing situation, adjusting when necessary, to ensure the least amount of suffering for all.  

The measures that were agreed upon are as follows. 

1. Within the framework of the Guarantee Fund, for any request for a cash loan / overdraft authorisation of less than €50,000, the credit institution may, at the end of its internal procedure, release the sums requested without having to ask the Guarantee Fund for its prior agreement. 

The Guarantee Fund will continue to be the recipient of all the credit files granted by the banks, will study and identify them, and if necessary, report any observations to one or other of the establishments.

2. The income threshold for the eligibility of the self-employed working in their personal name, to the payment of the Extraordinary Minimum Income (RME), is now set at €12,000 over the year and €3,000 over the quarter, thus making it possible to broaden the number of people likely to benefit.

3. The aid initially provided to small structures (APS), is now extended to companies registered in the Trade and Industry Register, to the exclusion of foreign companies, which achieve an annual turnover less tax, at €1.5 million and who have suffered, since March 1, a drop in monthly activity of at least 50% compared to the previous year in the same period. In order to simplify the procedures for companies, requests for the granting of Aid to Companies (AS) are essentially based on a declaration on their honour by the legal representative of the company, or duly authorised, and will give entitlement to payment in April, May and June, for the months of March, April and May, direct State aid of a lump sum of €5,000 / month. The procedures and documents required will be specified on the website of the Public Business Service, knowing that in the next few days, requests will all be made online on this same site.

4. For the sake of fairness, for persons carrying out their activity in their personal name, additional aid in the amount of €3,200 will be paid to RME beneficiaries, for the months of March, April and May 2020. Total monthly aid thus paid to each beneficiary will amount to €5,000.

The committee says that these new or modified procedures are the product of the hard work put forth by both sides to ensure no one falls through the cracks financially as a result of the current situation.

Both the government and the National Council are in accord, agreeing that preservation of jobs is the quickest path to economic recovery after the crisis passes. To this end, they announced that the first payments to employers had been made to the Reinforced Total Temporary Unemployment (CTTR) fund on 13th April. More will be forthcoming in the next days.

From a legislative angle, the government is protecting jobs by reviewing a bill that is on the table prohibiting unfair dismissals, making telecommuting mandatory for positions where this is possible and carrying out other Covid-related measures.

The meeting was wrapped up with a discussion about the proposed amendments to the 2020 budget, the new draft of which will be submitted to the Council on 21st April. Finally, the €1,000 bonus for workers on the front lines of the epidemic was touched on, in terms of whom the recipients should be.

The next Joint Monitoring Committee meeting will be held on 23rd April.

 
Photo: Minister of State Serge Telle at the Bettina factory in Monaco during a previous visit, courtesy Monaco Government
 
 

Cannes Film Festival still on the cards for 2020

by: Cassandra Tanti
15/04/2020

Organisers of the Cannes Film Festival – a major tourist drawcard for Monaco – say they will be looking at new ways to host the event in light of France’s ban on festivals until mid-July.
Due to the Covid-19 crisis, the Cannes Film Festival had already been postponed from its original mid-May dates to late June and early July.
However, organisers said this week that this was “no longer an option” after President Emmanuel Macron announced on Monday that festivals could not resume until mid-July at the earliest.
“It is clearly difficult to assume that the Festival de Cannes could be held this year in its original form,” the organisers said in a statement, adding they were exploring “all contingencies” to realise Cannes 2020 “in one way or another”.
The virus outbreak has ravaged Monaco’s glittering spring and summer cultural calender, with organisers cancelling the Monaco Grand Prix and the Monte-Carlo Television Festival.
However, Cannes has so far resisted cancelling this year’s festival completely. Organisers say that discussions have already started with industry participants over what form Cannes 2020 could take.
“They agree that the Festival de Cannes, an essential pillar for the film industry, must explore all contingencies to support the year of cinema by making Cannes 2020 real, in one way or another,” the organisers said. “Each and everyone knows that many uncertainties are still reigning over the international health situation. We hope to be able to communicate promptly regarding the shapes that this Cannes 2020 will take.”
The festival was due to announce its line-up this week, with film director Spike Lee set to head the jury, the first person of black African heritage to do so.
 

Tourism taking a major hit

by: Stephanie Horsman
15/04/2020

The fallout from the Covid-19 crisis on tourism in Monaco and the French Riviera could potentially be devastating to the local economies.

Since the middle of March when confinement measures were first implemented in Monaco and France, concerns regarding the effect on tourism and tourist-generated incomes have been a hot topic of conversation. Representing 15% of the economies of the Principality and Alpes-Maritimes, the tourism sector is a powerhouse, employing roughly 75,000 people directly, and another 75,000 peripherally in the area.

As the coronavirus spread and government-imposed measures to contain it were put into effect, leisure and business tourism came to a grinding halt. Between Monaco and the Alpes-Maritimes, 620 hotels, 87 resident hotels and 5,900 restaurants have been forced to shutter their doors while innumerable tourist-reliant leisure activity businesses are in a holding pattern waiting for the nightmare to end.

The Principality and it’s French neighbour welcome 11 million tourists every year equalling 70 million overnight stays. More than half these visitors are foreign clients and 16% are travelling to the region for business.

Summer is the peak time, and the region sees no less than 200,000 visitors on a daily basis, with the peak hitting an astounding 650,000 on 15th August weekend.

This translates to a lot of money being lost each day that local businesses remain closed. In a normal year, tourists account for €6 billion in direct revenue, generating €10 billion in turnover for tourism companies. March usually makes up 6.5% of the number of annual tourists, April 8% and May 8.8%. 

This means that even if lockdown measures are completely lifted in May, and that is a huge IF, tourism in 2020 will already be down 15%. June to September account for half the year’s tourists. If borders are not reopened and if travellers are reluctant or financially unable to travel, this means the region could be seriously hit in the pocketbook.

Already, millions have been forfeited with the cancellation of yearly anticipated events, such as the Monaco Grand Prix and the Rolex Masters Tennis Tournament, as well as the now-indefinite postponement of the Cannes Film Festival, which was until yesterday still holding out for a mid-July run.

If the crisis conditions continue into summer, belts will be worn tighter as job losses skyrocket and businesses unwillingly close. The effects of this disaster would be felt well beyond the summer months, possibly taking years to fully recover from.

 
 

No new Covid-19 cases since Sunday

by: Stephanie Horsman
15/04/2020

Monaco’s health authorities have reported no new cases of the coronavirus since a single case on Sunday, keeping the total number of people who have tested positive for the virus at a steady 93.

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were banner days for the Principality in the fight against the Covid-19 virus. No new cases were reported over the course of three days and only a single case was detected on Sunday.

Six people who had been diagnosed with the disease have now been declared fully recovered, including high-profile cases such as HSH Prince Albert II and Minister of State Serge Telle.

Nine patients are currently in hospital, two of whom are in intensive care. These patients are the ones who have displayed only the most severe symptoms. Health authorities have been monitoring the less severe cases remotely as the patients convalesce at home through the Health Monitoring Centre that was set up specifically for this purpose. To date, there are 116 such patients using the service.

Health authorities are attempting to keep as many people at home as possible in order to keep the hospital from being overwhelmed by minor cases, allowing them to provide care not only for those suffering with coronavirus, but also those in need of other types of urgent medical assistance.

 

Photo: Victoria Cellun, all rights reserved Monaco Life