Prince Albert II has taken time out to visit the Banana Moon and Bettina factories who have been busy churning out protective face masks since the end of March for use in the Principality.
What do a high end knitwear company and bikini makers have in common? They have both leapt into action during the health crisis and transformed their factories into mask-making operations.
Both companies have created lines of the ‘Made in Monaco’ protective masks in washable and reusable fabric, primarily for use to the government.
Banana Moon was created in 1984 and has its headquarters in the Principality. Since the start of the crisis, the company has been charged with manufacturing more than 1,000 masks a day at the request of the Prince’s government.
In response to the Covid-19 crisis, the design company is also donating 10% of all sales to the Red Cross.
Bettina normally produces knitted items for French fashion brands and has a manufacturing facility in La Condamine. It is producing 80,000 masks per month.
Princess Charlene’s brother and Secretary General of the Princess Charlene Foundation, Gareth Wittstock, has visited the Principality’s Olympic athletes to offer them the Foundation’s signature protective face masks.
Gareth Wittstock, on behalf of the Princess Charlene Foundation, made two stops on Friday 8th May to deliver face masks bearing the #strongtogether logo to Monaco’s Olympic and Special Olympic athletes.
Mr Wittstock hand delivered masks intended for the 50 Monegasque Olympians to Jeremy Bottin, President of Monegasque Association of Olympic Athletes (AMAO).
He then went on to meet Pierre Van Klaveren, President of Special Olympics Monaco, where the men visited the local athletes from the Special Olympics, again, offering them the protective masks.
The athletes, who like the rest of Monaco, have been confined for several weeks, were delighted by the visit.
It was a busy day for Mr Wittstock. He started in the morning by taking masks to the Principality’s Association for the Disabled, which works to help improve the day-to-day lives of those living with disabilities.
The Special Olympians are currently organising their new post-confinement training schedules. They are looking forward to competing again soon, namely in the Special Olympics Winter Games being held in the United States in 2022 and in the Summer World Championships in Berlin in 2023.
Princess Charlene has been Honorary President of the Special Olympics Monaco since 2012.
Photos: Princess Charlene Foundation
Leclerc takes second in Virtual Spanish Grand Prix
Charles Leclerc came in a super respectable runner up in the Virtual Spanish Grand Prix held on Sunday after a thrilling race pitting him against Williams’ George Russell.
Sunday’s Virtual Spanish Grand Prix saw Williams pilot George Russell take pole position, but quickly lose the lead as Esteban Gutierrez from Team Mercedes crept up from behind followed by a masterful move on the outside from Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
Leclerc then took over as leader and by the fourth lap, Leclerc’s rival from the Virtual Interlagos track, Alex Albon, was hot on his trail. It looked like it may be another Leclerc/Albon race, until Albon took a pit stop for a tyre change, part of a strategy that misfired in the end.
Leclerc seemed to have the race in the bag, until lap 20 when Russell snuck up during the fastest lap of the race and closed in on the Monegasque hotshot. Five laps later, Russell overtook Leclerc. He had racked up a three second penalty for track infractions earlier, though, so Leclerc still had a shot at the top spot if he just kept his head.
In the final lap of the race, Leclerc himself was slapped with a three second penalty, giving Russell the tiny edge he needed to win the race.
“I am feeling ecstatic, I’m not used to this winning thing. I’ve not done it for a long, long time. I’ve dearly missed it,” Russell said after the race. “When I got past Charles and I knew I had that three second penalty I was pretty furious but when that radio message came in at the end and I heard he had the three second penalty I was almost wetting my pants,” he added.
After 11 days with no additional coronavirus cases, tests on the weekend confirmed one new patient has been diagnosed with Covid-19 in the Principality.
Up until Saturday 9th May, Monaco had marked 11 days of being coronavirus free amid the lifting of the lockdown on Monday 4th May.
This new positive brings the total number of people to have been officially infected with Covid-19 in the Principality to 96.
Of these patients, 82 have been given the all-clear, while one remains hospitalised at the Princess Grace Hospital intensive care unit.
As is the case throughout much of the world, only highly symptomatic patients with Covid-19 are hospitalised in Monaco. Currently, five patients showing mild symptoms of the disease are being treated by the Home Monitoring Centre.
Four people have died at the Prince Grace Hospital since the epidemic began. One of those was a resident of the Principality.
Monaco’s lifting of the lockdown is determined by the success of each stage of its three-phase plan. Phase one began on Monday 4th May with the reopening of all retail stores, well-being services, the Port of Monaco and workplaces.
Phase two begins on Monday 11th May and includes the partial return of students to schools in the Principality (non-mandatory).
If the first two stages proceed as planned without any major increase in the health situation, the government will consider on a case-by-case basis the reopening of restaurants and coffee shops, gaming rooms, exhibition halls, theatres and cinemas, beaches and swimming pools, gyms and sporting institutions, giving priority to those with outdoor activities.
Le Camembert is no more. Casino Square has finally got its facelift and is ready for its close-up, but that almost certainly will not be before June.
The renovation of Casino Square, Monte Carlo’s central area facing the iconic Casino de Monte Carlo, has been a long time coming. The last phase of the makeover that included the building of One Monte-Carlo and the reconstruction of the Hôtel de Paris, was set to be officially inaugurated by the hosting of three major events this summer.
Sadly, the coronavirus had other ideas, forcing both the Fête de la Danse and a concert by Canadian super-songstress Celine Dion to be cancelled, as well as a gathering of 120 Ferraris on the esplanade to inaugurate the new look that was meant to happen at the end of June.
Nevertheless, SBM President Jean-Luc Biamonti has moved the €2.5 million project forward and accomplished what he set out to do after roughly four months of work. The project had two main objectives. The first was the removal of the grassy mound, affectionately called the camembert, which was an impediment to having large scale events on the site. The second was to resolve the on-going traffic circulation issues that continuously cropped up.
There were three contenders for the project and in the end, it was landscaper Michel Desvigne whose design was chosen. Desvigne is well-respected in the Principality and also has his stamp on the Mareterra land extension and Larvotto revamp.
The new Casino Square is now flattened and wide open. In the centre, Anish Kapoor’s mirror stands reflecting the casino whilst removable palm trees dot the area. The trees can be moved for events and the process of removal and replanting takes 24 to 48 hours. Traffic will no longer drive past the Café de Paris, but the side where the Grand Prix passes remains untouched.
For those who are ready to start enjoying the 3,500m2 plaza, SBM has stated that it will officially open when the Café de Paris reopens. If all goes according to plan with deconfinement, this means the public can begin enjoying the space in June, albeit without the Ferrari parade.
“The Place du Casino should be accessible again when the Café de Paris reopens, a date which is not yet known right now, because it is linked to the calendar of deconfinement of the Principality,” the Société des Bains de Mer said in a statement.
Despite the anticipation, not everyone is enamoured with the changes. Those waxing nostalgic, primarily on social media, long for the old version. But it is hoped that, as was the case when the Winter Sporting was replaced by One Monte-Carlo, people will soon adapt.
It should be noted that this is not the first time the square has been altered. Horse-drawn carriages once dotted the site, later followed by cars. Pedestrian traffic was always a feature, though in more recent times, safety issues became a concern. This latest incarnation solves the thorny problems of traffic, parking, safety and usability, making it the kind of place ready to take on the 21st century.
Interview: Grimaldi Forum Managing Director Sylvie Biancheri
The Grimaldi Forum is Monaco’s largest cultural and congress centre, hosting the Principality’s main events worth in excess of €21.5 million a year. With close to 300,000 people passing through its doors annually, the spin-offs for Monaco are also enormous, amounting to €68 million in 2019 alone.
But the normally bustling halls of the Grimaldi Forum are eerily quiet, and will likely be so for many months to come.
Managing Director Sylvie Biancheri spoke to Monaco Life about how the forum is dealing with the fallout of the Covid-19 crisis. Grimaldi Forum Managing Director Sylvie Biancheri Monaco Life: It must be a challenge to keep up with scheduling amid the Covid-19 global crisis. Is it the Grimaldi Forum who determines which events will be cancelled and which ones will be postponed, or is it the organisers who are making these decisions?
Sylvie Biancheri: It depends. If the Grimaldi Forum is acting as the organiser/producer of the event, we have to make the decision of whether to cancel or postpone. This is the case for cultural exhibitions, shows, concerts, etc. If the Grimaldi Forum is acting as the operator/hosting venue, it is then the client/organiser who decides. What do you estimate to be the number of cancellations so far this year, versus postponements?
For a total of 25 events concerned up to now, 20 events have been postponed and five were cancelled. Many have been postponed until later in 2020, while others have been postponed to 2021. Has the government imposed any rules with regards to what shows and events may go on and which may not?
Before the lockdown, the government tried to identify a difference between “active” and “passive” events, to be able to determine which ones were likely to be less risky for the population, and try to maintain them. However, since the lockdown, it is clear that we had to cancel all types of events. Do certain events have priority over others? Do business events have scheduling priority, for example?
Of course, business events have a certain priority, but we really try to “save” all the events. Unfortunately, we regretfully had to cancel our great summer exhibition – ‘Monaco and the automobile, from 1893 to today’. It was set to occupy one of our most successful spaces for three months. We have been able to find other dates to postpone most events, though. The government has indicated that phase three will involve the opening of public spaces in June (based on the success of the first two phases). Does that include the Grimaldi Forum?
For us, unfortunately, all events until the end of August have been cancelled. In July, we still have in our schedule the Ballets de Monte-Carlo for a broadcast (no audience) and the Monte-Carlo Comedy Film Festival, but it is too early to know if the festival can go ahead. We can only wait and see. Are you optimistic that things will return to normal by next year?
It is difficult to say. I do hope that the situation will be better at the end of the year, and I have to remain optimistic. But we don’t have any visibility about the possibility of international travel, and this makes the situation complicated for all international events. What is the first scheduled event you have on the books for re-opening and when is it?
At the moment, besides the events mentioned above in July, the first event scheduled is taking place at the very beginning of September – One to One Retail e-commerce, organised by Comexposium, which was originally planned for mid-March. What is the post-confinement plan for the forum? What kind of precautions for guests and staff will be imposed to keep everyone safe?
For the staff, everything is already in place, and we can list the following measures:
Remote work highly recommended until June 2nd
Temperature measurement on arrival
Distribution of washable masks, hydroalcoholic gel and wipes (to each collaborator and distributors also available in many spots of the building)
Visors for the Control Security Post agents in case of intervention, and workers and technicians on the fieldwork
Setting up of plexiglass separators in the open space offices
Control of the social distancing (4 sqm as requested by the authorities)
Reinforcement of the cleaning and disinfection plans for the premises and equipment, especially in all contact points (rails, handles, desks, elevators buttons…)
Compulsory wearing of masks in all common areas of the building and for meetings – also highly recommended in offices for more than one person.
Regarding professional events, we’re still working on this, as many clients have to be advised and monitored to comply with the requirements of the Monegasque authorities.
It is quite difficult and not ready yet, but basically we will target different types of populations and different types of measures, as they face different risks: visitors, exhibitors, suppliers, external staff working in the frame of an event and also different phases in the process – goods deliveries areas, set up, exploitation, dismantling. The risks are different according to the populations and phases of hosting an event.
Written by Casandra Tanti and Stephanie Horsman, photos by Olivia Marocco for the Grimaldi Forum Monaco
