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Day: 10 July 2020

Grimaldi Forum reaches major milestone

by: Cassandra Tanti
10/07/2020

The Grimaldi Forum team has celebrated its 20th anniversary with Prince Albert, a momentous occasion during which details of two upcoming summer exhibitions were revealed.
Prince Albert joined a large cohort of Grimaldi Forum Monaco (GFM) employees on
Thursday 9th July to mark an important anniversary not only for the congress and culture centre, but for Monaco.
Given the coronavirus crisis, it is perhaps not the party that everyone had in mind, however the GFM team were keen to give it a good crack.
It is this enormous team spirit which is at the heart of the success of the Grimaldi Forum, said Sylvie Biancheri, General Director of the GFM, which has been an “extraordinary human adventure, with a team which has largely been there since the start and which each new recruit enthusiastically joins.”
In fact, more than half of the workforce has been with the centre for more than 10 years, while 25% have been part of the team since 2000.
After the screening of a film on the history of the Grimaldi Forum, Sylvie Biancheri spoke about the incredible rise of the institution, which had achieved record figures in 2019 with a turnover of €24 million, 290,000 visitors and almost 120 events. This was on the back of five years of constant growth.
Building on these figures, it was said that the Grimaldi Forum Monaco remains optimistic about its future. Recovery is expected from September when a full calendar of events kicks off, including an exciting new hybrid concept utilising digital meetings.
Indeed, the centre is refocussing its commercial strategy, launching a 360° virtual reality tour of the venue before the end of the year – an innovative way to introduce people to its new 600 sqm terrace in September and the building’s upcoming extension into the new Marretera eco-district.
In terms of culture and in light of the disappointing cancellation of this year’s ‘Monaco and Automobile’ exhibition, the GFM has been able to confirm that next year’s summer exhibition will be dedicated to Swiss artist Alberto Giacometti, featuring the largest selection of works ever loaned by the eponymous Foundation. The following year, in 2023, the Grimaldi Forum will showcase the master of Impressionism: Claude Monet.
In the shorter term, the GFM will mark its official birthday on 20th July with a cultural retrospective devoted to all of the 20 summer exhibitions and musical events of the past two decades, which the public can see on the GFM social networks.
 
Photos: © Grimaldi Forum Monaco 2020 JC Vinaj
 
 

20/21 football schedule revealed

by: Cassandra Tanti
10/07/2020

It’s official: AS Monaco’s new season will be marked by a visit from Stade de Reims on the weekend of 22nd August at the Stade Louis II.
The Ligue de Football Professionnel has released the 2020-2021 season calendar, revealing that Monaco will host Stade de Reims on the first matchday of the Ligue 1 Uber Eats season. Like last year, AS Monaco will face FC Metz on the second matchday, 29th to 30th August, at the Stade Saint-Symphorien.
That will be followed by two more away games, before Monaco goes up against Paris Saint-Germain in November.
The full calendar is:
Home at the Stade Louis-II:
J11 : AS Monaco – Paris Saint-Germain (November 21-22)
J21 : AS Monaco – Olympique de Marseille (January 23-24)
J29 : AS Monaco – LOSC (March 13-14)
J35 : AS Monaco – Olympique Lyonnais (May 1-2)
J37 : AS Monaco – Stade Rennais (May 15-16)
Away:
J4 : Stade Rennais – AS Monaco (September 19-20)
J8 : Olympique Lyonnais – AS Monaco (October 24-25)
J13 : LOSC – AS Monaco (December 5-6)
J14 : Olympique de Marseille – AS Monaco (December 12-13)
J26 : Paris Saint-Germain – AS Monaco (February 20-21)
The Monegasques will face Les Aiglons, in the derby, on November 7-8 at the Allianz Riviera (J10). The reverse fixture will be held at the Rock, on Wednesday, February 3 (J23), while the Red and Whites will host RC Lens, promoted from Ligue 2, on Wednesday, December 16 (J15).
Meanwhile, AS Monaco have announced the departure of German international full-back Benjamin Henrichs, in a loan with €15m option to buy deal with Bundesliga club RB Leipzig.
Henrichs arrived in the Principality in August 2018, making 44 appearances over the course of two seasons but never really finding consistency in an elongated crisis period that the club experienced.
Photo courtesy AS Monaco
 
 

Mosquitos don’t transmit Covid-19, but other risks remain

by: Cassandra Tanti
10/07/2020

Tiger mosquitos do not pose a coronavirus risk, say authorities, however they do spread other deadly diseases which are on the rise. Prevention, says the government, is therefore key.
The Tiger mosquito (Aedes aegypti) is easily identifiable by the black and white stripes on its body and legs. They are not the greatest fliers in the world, so are often easy to swat and, unlike normal mosquitos, this particular variety is also known for its blood-sucking activity during the day.
They may be small in size, but according to the World Health Organisation, mosquitos are one of the deadliest animals in the world. Their ability to carry and spread disease to humans causes millions of deaths every year, and numbers are rising.
The worldwide incidence of dengue has increased 30-fold in the past 30 years, and more countries are reporting their first outbreaks of the disease. Zika, dengue and chikungunya are all transmitted to humans by the Aedes aegypti mosquito.
So how can people protect themselves? The risk of chikungunya, dengue or zika epidemics lies in imported cases – that is, a person who has stayed in an endemic area and returns home with the disease present in their system.
None of these diseases can be transmitted directly from person to person, but if the mosquito bites an infected person, it can pick up the virus and transmit it to a healthy subject when it bites again.
In an effort to limit the risk of mosquitos, the Monaco government is encouraging everyone in the Principality to follow some simple guidelines: eliminate standing water on terraces and in gardens, no matter how small; use mosquito repellents, diffusers and spirals; utilise window and bed mosquito nets; and identify imported cases of chikungunya, dengue or zika early enough to allow the immediate implementation of public health measures.
Tiger mosquitos and Covid
The good news, according to the experts, is that it is impossible for insects to transmit Covid-19 through their bites.
“The World Health Organisation (WHO) had mentioned it, now the National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Security (ANSES) has confirmed it: no transmission of the virus responsible for Covid-19 by a mosquito has been determined, nor of any virus of the coronavirus family,” said the government in a statement.
This is backed by a new study published on 26th June by the Italian National Institute of Health, which shows that mosquitoes cannot transmit the coronavirus, whether it be a common mosquito or a Tiger mosquito.
Chikungunya, dengue and zika: what are the symptoms?
Chikungunya or dengue fever may be present in a person with a fever above 38.5°C together with the sudden onset of at least one of the following signs: headache, muscle pain, joint swelling, lower back pain, rash or retro-orbital (eye) pain. Symptoms of Zika include rash (with or without fever) and at least two of the following signs: conjunctivitis, headache, joint pain and muscle pain. A blood test is able to confirm the diagnosis.
People who suspect they may have one of the mosquito-born diseases are advised to use a suitable skin repellent on themselves and their close entourage while they wait for testing at the Princess Grace Hospital Centre.