National Council President Stéphane Valeri has visited the Grimaldi Forum to thank the team behind the screening campaign, while also encouraging more people to take the voluntary Covid-19 antibody test.
Since the start of the crisis, the National Council has called for widespread testing to be carried out in the Principality. It considers this campaign by the Monaco Government a personal win.
“This large-scale screening campaign, launched on 19th May in Monaco, responds to strong expectations from the population and was essential to effectively support the gradual lifting of containment,” said the council in a statement.
Welcomed at the Grimaldi Forum by Health Minister Didier Gamerdinger and Secretary General of DASS Ludmilla Raconnat le Goff, Council President Stéphane Valeri, accompanied by numerous National Counsellors, praised the quality of the organisation and work of all the teams involved.
“It was important to us to thank the teams present on site, without whom this screening campaign could not have been carried out. I welcome the commitment of the teams from the Department of Social Affairs, the DASA, the Police Force, agents from the Monaco City Council, testers from the Monaco Red Cross and Fight Aids Monaco, liberal nurses , Grimaldi Forum staff and volunteers, who helped out at the two screening sites,” said Mr Valeri.
Elected officials are encouraging residents and employees to participate in the screening campaign, which it says “is the result of fruitful consultation between the Government and the National Council.”
EasyJet has begun offering flights between the UK and Nice from 15th June, starting with a tentative schedule of three flights a week to Gatwick only, ahead of a more normal schedule in July.
EasyJet grounded its entire fleet on 20th March due to the Covid-19 pandemic and widespread lockdowns.
With the opening of France’s borders on 15th June, easyJet will kickstart domestic routes between its main airports in the UK and France, including Nice – the country’s second largest airport outside of Paris.
As reported by Monaco Life last week, the airline is starting with a very small number of flights, initially spaced at two to three days apart, according to its booking website.
From 1st July, a more normal schedule will kick in, with daily flights resuming between Nice and Gatwick, Stanstead and Luton.
The carrier says it will introduce enhanced cleaning and disinfection of its aircraft, make disinfectant wipes and hand sanitiser available on board, and require all passengers and cabin crew, as well as ground crew, to wear masks. There will be no food service onboard initially.
Other airlines will also reinstate flights between London and Nice from 15th June including British Airways, Air France, Lufthansa and Swiss.
British Home Secretary Priti Patel announced on Friday travellers entering the country would have to self-isolate for 14 days or they could face a £1,000 fine. France will reciprocate the UK’s two-week quarantine, however it will be on a voluntary basis.
Following Monday’s announcement that Monaco Yacht Show 2020 will be an “intimate” affair, Monaco Life spoke to the show’s Director Gaëlle Tallarida about organising this year’s event amid an unprecedented environment of uncertainty.
Monaco Life: What is the feeling among the local yachting industry now that you have been able to confirm that the Monaco Government and Informa are pushing ahead with this year’s Monaco Yacht Show?
Gaëlle Tallarida: Even before the announcement made this week, some exhibitors had decided to confirm their participation in the show (if the Covid19 pandemic improves with the arrival of summer). So we can assume that Monday’s announcement will strengthen their position. Other exhibitors await the evolution of the pandemic in the coming weeks. It is in this perspective that we wanted to reassure the yachting industry on the framework of the show and in particular on the sanitary measures implemented to ensure the safety of participants. Other companies have decided to cancel their participation given the current health framework. As every year, each exhibiting company is free to participate in the event with a presence in terms of exhibition space that it chooses according to its commercial and marketing strategy (stand area, number of yachts on display for example), so it’s the same this year. MYS Director Gaelle Tallarida You have labelled this year’s event an “intimate” yacht show. How different – in terms of scale – are you expecting it to be compared to last year?
The intimate nature of this year’s show, with a focus on putting the safety of participants first, will maintain the quality of the event for all participants, with exhibition areas which are in line with usual stand organisation: The quays will still be dedicated to brokers, shipyards, designers, yacht management and tender manufacturers. Large tents will regroup equipment and services companies, and decoration and interior design companies will be located on Parvis Piscine. The Superyacht Builders Association (SYBAss) and the seven yacht brokers belonging to the Large Yacht Brokers Association (LYBRA) have pulled out of this year’s event, saying the 2020 edition of MYS should not go ahead. What is your response to this and how will the withdrawal of these associations affect the show?
We are all coping with an unprecedented situation. The Covid-19 pandemic has impacted the businesses of everyone. Each will have different plans for the remainder of the year. This is understandable. We respect the decision of any company to withdraw from the MYS, whatever the reason. Each company faces its own commercial and economic issues and we must respect this, keeping in mind that our mission is to support any yachting company that would like to recover in the aftermath of Covid-19. And we’ll always be there for any company that needs the support and the long-standing experience of the MYS. With restrictions on international travel still uncertain, are you expecting a stronger European presence at this year’s show?
The MYS attracts visitors from worldwide indeed, and we know that there are lots of exhibitors and visitors coming from Europe. As we will run an intimate show with a low density controlled footfall, this can be turned as an opportunity for European citizens to attend the show. The first brake is safety. Everyone of us must now face a new reality with health and safety constraints. Our mission is to set the highest health and safety standards to reassure the visitors that would like to come. When will we know for sure if the 2020 edition of the Monaco Yacht Show will go ahead?
We’re currently working on the pragmatic details of the health and safety measures with Informa and the Monegasque Government. But if, by 20th July, the evolution of the Covid‐19 pandemic renders it impossible to put on an MYS that complies with the highest levels of sanitary measures we want to set, the MYS will not go ahead as planned.
Now is the time to start putting all the coronavirus insanity in the rear view mirror and look forward to what summer in Monaco has to offer, including the upcoming auctions at the Principality’s premiere maison aux enchéres, Artcurial.
Summer is fast approaching and life is returning to a kind of normalcy after a long, hard and fear-filled spring. What better way to head into the warmer months than with a new bauble, bag, timepiece of even car to brighten up the mood.
Prestige auction house Artcurial is hosting events from 19th to 21st July for their annual summer splash out. The Hermitage Hotel is the site of the events and as ever, the sales will be an excellent chance for collectors and enthusiasts to purchase rare and one of a kind pieces.
The team at Artcurial ensures the public that all required health and safety measures will be respected without scrimping on luxury and comfort. Auctioneer Stephane Aubert will be at the hammer, ready to assist in all sales.
This year’s auctions will feature Hermes collectables and valuable men’s timepieces on the 19th, unique jewellery on the 20th, and elegant watches for ladies and nearly 80 extraordinary motorcars on the 21st.
Artcurial has consistently been the go-to for those looking for special collection items since 2015.
The Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation South Africa has taken the #strongtogether campaign to her home country in the form of a celebrity challenge.
Some of South Africa’s biggest celebrities have joined with global non-governmental organisations under the auspices of the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation South Africa to launch the #strong together Celebrity Challenge, a programme that aims to save lives and impact communities in the Princess’s native South Africa.
This social awareness initiative was first contrived in Monaco after Prince Albert II fell ill with the coronavirus earlier this year. After his recovery, the Sovereign Prince and Princess came up with #strongtogether as a unifying rallying call to the country, reminding the people of the Principality that we are all in this together and to keep faith that all will be well.
The Princess brought the plan to South Africa in order to give hope to those affected by the pandemic, though it is with a twist. Her Foundation has gathered together personalities from the arts, cultural, sports and music worlds and asked them to find creative ways to heighten awareness and raise funds for charity.
Some of the celebrity ambassadors include Bryan Habana, Kurt Darren, Jeannie D, Melinda Bam, Gareth Cliff, Terence Parkin, Victor Matfield, Juandre Kruger, Kefilwe Mabote, Margaret Hirsch, Louis Oosthuizen and Angelique Gerber Potgieter.
In addition to the challenge, there will be a ‘lucky draw’ where for R$10, ticket buyers have a shot at winning tickets to the 2021 Monaco Grand Prix or a five-day stay at Etali Safari Lodge, a five-star lodge in Madikwe, South Africa.
All ticket proceeds and funds raised by the celebrities will go to charity as well as to purchase and distribute masks to those unable to access or buy them and teach people how to protect themselves from contracting the virus.
The event runs from 26th May to 9th June. To follow the fun of the #strongtogether Celebrity Challenge, go on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter or to the Foundation’s website at https://pcmfsa.com/
Ernesto Sirolli gives TEDx talk on life in time of crisis
TEDxMonteCarlo alumni Ernesto Sirolli shared personal stories from the past 12 weeks in a memorable and witty talk entitled Strong Together? Sit Up and Listen about entrepreneurial spirit and obligation in the time of coronavirus and beyond.
The world has changed forever from the effects of the recent health crisis, but change doesn’t have to be all bad. Ernesto Sirolli, a sustainable development expert and former aid worker, argued on his recent TedxMonteCarlo Talk that “no crisis should be wasted” and that opportunities abound for people to come together to be better global citizens.
Sirolli posits that what we are currently looking at is akin to a wartime economy, and the companies and businesspeople who adapt their business models to be of service to the people will come out winners in the end. Community led, “glocal” entrepreneurship is highlighted in his speech and is a solid way forward for companies to extract themselves of the quagmire the health crisis has caused, saving their companies whilst creating jobs.
He has spent his career teaching civic leaders, governments and corporations how to partner with local people for long lasting prosperity. He is called the “Iron Man” of community development, running the Sirolli Institute in California which is “a model of local economic development based on capturing the passion, intelligence and resolve of local entrepreneurs.
After the talk, Sirolli took a full half an hour to let the audience answer questions, share ideas and ask for advice.
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