Covid: Another restaurant closure, Briatore in hospital

The Cipriani restaurant has shuttered its doors after two staff members tested positive. Meanwhile its owner, Italian billionaire and ex- F1 team manager Flavio Briatore, has been admitted to hospital in Milan with coronavirus.

After the sudden closure of Sass Café on the weekend, Covid continues to take its toll on Monegasque businesses, this time on high-end Italian restaurant Cipriani after two staff members tested positive for the virus on Tuesday.

“One external staff member and one internal staff member tested positive for the coronavirus. For the sake of prudence and with the same attention and the same security for our guests and our team, we have taken the decision to temporarily close Cipriani with immediate effect,” stated the company on its Facebook page.  

The restaurant has been thoroughly disinfected and pointed out that the decision to close was theirs, not a forced closure by the authorities.  

Meanwhile, the owner of the restaurant, outspoken Covid critic Flavio Briatore, has been hospitalised in Milan with the virus. The 70-year-old is reportedly in a “good and stable” condition at San Raffaele Hospital. News of his hospitalisation came out at the same time as word that about 60 of the employees at his Sardinian nightclub, Billionaire, had also tested positive.

 
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Covid cluster at iconic bar/restaurant

 
 

Monaco leading the way in eco-friendly boating

Two Monaco companies are pioneering the trend for eco-friendly watercraft using electric and solar powered propulsion that doesn’t skimp on performance whilst remaining good to the environment.
Two companies based in Monaco are offering boating experiences that are high on performance and low on pollution.
Lanéva Dayboats has created a fuel-independent day boat that is 100% electric with a virtually silent motor. The Lanéva Vesper runs on a lithium polymer battery that was formerly reserved for military operations, and two axial flow motors that have been used in the aviation sector and are 95% energy efficient.
The design is sleek and modern, making it not only sustainable but attractive. The boat has recently been awarded the Solar Impulse Efficient Solution label following an assessment by external independent experts and based on a certain stringent criteria.

The Lanéva Vesper

The company estimates the cost savings over a 10-year period can reach €63,000 as the operating costs are 10 times lower and maintenance costs are four times less. The boat can be rented for €1,500 per day to give it spin.
Vesper became a part of the #1000solutions Challenge, an initiative by the Solar Impulse Foundation to select craft that meet only the highest standards in both profitability and sustainability and then to present them to decision-makers who fast-track their implementation.
Meanwhile, Monaco-based Yachting Partners International (YPI) also has an eco-friendly offering, but this time in the form of a charter boat. The company is now offering the 10-metre Vita X Electrix powerboat. The Electrix, built by Vita Yachts, is purportedly the world’s first fully electric, high-performance day charter out there.
The boat comfortably seats seven guests and boasts a large sun deck plus a cabin and is easy on the eyes as well as the environment.
“Adopting an eco-friendly approach to tourism is increasingly high on our clients’ agendas,” said Abdullah Nahar, Director at YPI. “Innovative uses of technology are opening up exciting new ways for the yachtingcommunity to embrace a more sustainable approach. The Vita X Electrix is an excellent example of thisinnovation in action and we are delighted to be able to offer this first fully electric day charter to our clients.”
The day rate is €1,875, and this includes the captain.
 
Top photo: Vita X Electrix by YPI
 
 
 

Excitement building around Ever Monaco 2020

Ever Monaco 2020, the springtime electric vehicle and renewable energy event that was postponed until September due to the health crisis, is coming soon to the Grimaldi Forum with a quality program that is worth the wait.

Ever Monaco, scheduled for 10th to 12th September at the Grimaldi Forum, is one of the most anticipated environmental events on the calendar, and it is with great interest that this year’s edition takes place.

Bernard Fautrier, Minister Plenipotentiary and Special Advisor to the Prince on environmental issues, presented the program of this new edition of Ever Monaco at the Yacht Club earlier this week. It will include five round tables that are to take place over the course of the event as well as an exhibition featuring around 40 companies, the Riviera Classic Challenge, the Mines Telecom Institute school competition finals and Talks on Ride and Drive will take place.

Over the course of three days, visitors will be able to discover the latest innovations in sustainable mobility, not only on the stands, but also by test driving cars, motorbikes and even boats. And entrance is free.

According to the Minister and figures by Monaco Electricity and Gas Company (SMEG), there has been a massive jump in the purchase of electric and hybrid vehicles in both France and the Principality and Monaco is looking for suitable solutions for recharging stations to add to the 120 current charging points now on offer. France saw 55,000 new electric vehicles and 25,000 hybrids registered in the first half of this year. That equals roughly 18% of all new registrations. Similarly, Monaco has 3,000 electric or hybrid models and the number of these environmentally-friendly vehicles registered has grown by 70% since 2019.

These numbers show that there is a continued growing interest in purchasing and driving vehicles with alternative energy supplies, making Ever Monaco more relevant than ever.

Speakers will include academics in field from around the world including Professor Hiroyuki Ohsaki from the University of Tokyo, Professor Ali Emadi from Mc Master University in Canada, Professor Frede Blaabjerg from Denmark’s Aalborg University, Zhejiang University’s Professor Jian-Xin Shen from China, and Professor Mehrdad Ehsani from Texas A&M.

 
Photo: Honda is the official sponsor of the Ever Monaco event and will be showcasing its own eco-friendly vehicles.
 
 

Monaco backs projects reducing Med plastic pollution

BeMed, founded by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, has unveiled the latest five projects that it will support in their efforts to reduce plastic pollution in the Mediterranean islands.
Because of its closed sea topography, the intensity of maritime transport and the industrial and tourist activities it concentrates, the Mediterranean is particularly impacted by plastic pollution. With 1 to 10 million plastic particles per square kilometre, it is probably the most polluted sea in the world.
Faced with this reality, Beyond Plastic Med (BeMed), founded by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, the MAVA Foundation, Surfrider Europe Foundation, the Tara Ocean Foundation and the IUCN, is working with stakeholders in the field to reduce this pollution at the source. 53 micro-initiatives, supported by BeMed, have already been implemented in 15 countries of the Mediterranean basin.
On 1st April, BeMed launched a call for more projects, specifically targeting the Mediterranean islands – tourist hotspots that are strongly impacted by plastic pollution, providing opportunities to test and implement sustainable solutions anchored locally.
On Tuesday 25th August, it was announced that five projects have been selected to amplify the efforts of the BeMed network:
Together for zero plastic in 10 Albanian islands
This project is led by a consortium of associations – the Royal Albania Foundation, Women Rights Albania Association, Agriculture University of Tirana, Doctor Veterinarian in Community Association and the company 3k shpk– aims to reduce plastic pollution on 10 tourist islands in Albania. It relies on the involvement of municipalities to define a sustainable waste management strategy and develop regulations limiting the use of plastic on the islands. Support for businesses and tourists will facilitate the implementation of these regulations.
Plastistop – JLIJ Association for the Marine Environment
The main objective of this project is to improve the collection and recycling of plastic on the island of Djerba in Tunisia. It includes the implementation of selective sorting for 100 households and the installation of adequate equipment in strategic areas of the island. It will be accompanied by several awareness-raising activities among the population, tourists and fishermen.
For plastic free Croatian Islands – Association for Nature, Environment and Sustainable Development Sunce
This project aims to reduce the production of waste on two Croatian islands. By working with local stakeholders, an action plan based on the reduction of single-use plastics will be developed and implemented. The population will be involved and made aware of the problem and existing solutions to facilitate the transition. An experience-sharing component with stakeholders from other Croatian islands is planned to replicate the approach.
Plastic Free Balearic – Save the Med and Ibiza Preservation
This project aims to establish a common ‘plastic free’ certification in the tourism sector of the Balearic Islands.  In particular, it plans to evaluate and identify the most relevant alternatives to single-use plastics in the local context. It is based on an already active network of hotels, restaurants, and cafés, where the certification will be tested in more than 150 businesses.
Projet pilote Zero plastique sur l’archipel des îles d’Or et réplication en méditerranée – Small Islands Organisation (SMILO)
The aim of this project is to set up, in the “îles d’Or”, a micro-process to produce alternatives to single-use plastic made of waste from Provence cane farming. These alternatives will be designed, used, sorted, and composted locally. The project also plans to replicate this approach on the Kerkennah Islands, Tunisia, with residues and by-products from date palms, and on the island of Tavolara, Italy, with cork.
The call for projects is supported by the MAVA Foundation.
 
Photo: Balearic Islands, Ibiza, Pixabay
 

Code orange on Monaco for Netherlands

The Netherlands is the latest country to issue a warning against all travel to Monaco while putting in place a 10-day quarantine for visitors coming from the Principality.
The government gave its new travel advisory to residents of the Netherlands at midnight Tuesday, upgrading its warning to orange for Monaco, Spain, three regions of France, and also the Scottish city of Aberdeen in the United Kingdom, advising against all but necessary travel.
“The number of coronavirus infections is increasing in various places in Europe,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. “The travel advice for these Covid-19 risk areas will therefore be adjusted on the advice of the RIVM.”
The new regions of France that have gone orange are the Alpes-Maritimes, Sarthe and Hérault.
Anyone entering the Netherlands after visiting these areas, as well as residents from Monaco, will be instructed to enter home quarantine for 10 days upon arrival, the Ministry said.
 
Photo: Rotterdam, Pixabay