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Month: September 2020

Monaco on board with European Mobility Week

by: Stephanie Horsman
12/09/2020

There will be several initiatives in Monaco to get people in the spirit of European Mobility week, which kicks off on Monday 14th September.
European Mobility Week runs until 20th September and the Principality is celebrating with a week-long schedule of initiatives and events.
The goal is to make all Europeans aware of the importance of accessibility to zero-emission transport by promoting an inclusive framework involving everyone. It also encourages people and local authorities across Europe to take steps to achieve the long-term goal of a carbon-neutral continent.
The week begins with the 20th anniversary celebration of the Monaco Monte-Carlo Train Station. The station is developing services and equipment that follow the Principality’s line of sustainability and the digital transition.
“Mobility is very important because it affects the quality of life,” Minister of Equipment, Environment and Town Planning Marie-Pierre Gramaglia told Monaco Info. “The goal is to make the station “more modern and more accessible to all”. To that end they have added two new “offices” that are providing phone recharging stations and allowing people to work whilst they wait as well as a centre where parcels can be collected, amongst other new features. The Monaco Train Station accommodates 7.5 million voyagers each year, the third busiest in the region, making it an important hub. These updates are aimed at making travel better and easier for travellers.
Wednesday 16th September marks a day of free bus rides in Monaco. The Compagnie des Autobus de Monaco is sponsoring this Public Transport Day and hopes many will take advantage of the offer. The use of public transport lessens pollution and road congestion, both of which are concerns in the Principality.
Friday 18th September is the official launch of a new carpooling application, Klaxit. This app is particularly suited to work-home trips and will be launched as a one-year experiment by the Mission for Energy Transition, the Department of Foresight, Urban Planning and Mobility and the Interministerial Delegation for Digital Transition.
Finally, on Sunday 20th September, the city is holding Sunday by Bike. The port district will be partially closed to vehicle traffic and people are invited to come on non-motorised transport such as bikes, scooters, skateboards or on foot from 10am to 6pm.

"Low risk" as students test positive

by: Cassandra Tanti
11/09/2020

Two students at two different Monegasque schools have contracted Covid-19, however the government says there is “negligible” contamination risk given the strict health measures in place.
The government revealed late Thursday evening that a young elementary school student (CE2) from the François d’Assise – Nicolas BarrĂ© school located in Monaco-Ville had tested positive for Covid-19. The young girl will self-quarantine for a fortnight at her home.
A student in 6ème at Charles III College had also tested positive for the virus.
While teachers and pupils who have been in contact with both students will be offered a PCR test, the government maintains that the infected students pose a “negligible risk” of passing on the virus due to the fact that they, like their classmates and teachers, were wearing masks in compliance with strict health measures. “The risk of contamination is therefore very low,” said the government in a statement.
Classes are continuing in both schools, however distancing measures have been reinforced, hand hygiene has been strengthened, and everyone has been instructed to use only their personal items.
In addition to these precautionary measures, each student in both classes will have their temperature taken twice a day for the next 14 days – the potential incubation period of the virus.
When students and teachers returned to school at the beginning of September, the government made mask wearing compulsory for all students aged over 5 years.
 
 
 

Dartout lays out €75m economic recovery plan

by: Cassandra Tanti
10/09/2020

The new Minister of State has presented the government’s latest economic recovery plan, which will see €75 million allocated over four different areas.
Minister of State Pierre Dartout presented the government’s Investment Recovery Plan (PRI), developed in consultation with the National Council, during a press conference on Thursday morning.
“This €75 million package, submitted to the vote of the National Council, will allow an ambitious and realistic recovery plan, in a context of vigilance and mobilisation where the Government must strike a balance between health constraints and recovery measures,” said the minister.
The recovery plan will be categorised according to four areas:
The National Green Fund, which will be used to accelerate the Principality’s energy transition.
The Blue Fund, which will assist Monegasque companies in their digital transformation and help create a digital economy in Monaco.
The White Fund, designed to support building and construction activity in the Principality.
And finally, the Red and White Fund, intended to support local commerce and purchasing power in the Principality.
Other social and economic measures include an extension of the Reinforced Total Temporary Unemployment (CTTR) and the partial exemption from employer contributions until October, the extension of teleworking until December and the maintenance of the CARE system until December.
 
Photo: Minister of State Pierre Dartout © Direction de la Communication / Manuel Vitali
 
 
 

Interview: Melissa Roen

by: Natasha Girardi
10/09/2020

Monaco Life talks to multiple award-winning Californian author and screen writer Melissa Roen, who lives by the motto: Hard work beats talent, when talent fails to work hard.
Melissa Roen’s first novel Last Call For Caviar won the 2017 New York Book Festival Honourable Mention and the 2017 Los Angeles Book Festival Honourable Mention, among half a dozen other awards.
During our interview, I discovered that beneath the warm, effusive and bubbly character, lies a seriously deep thinker and hard worker.
Monaco Life:  When did you first start writing and why do you write?
Melissa Roen: I grew up in a home where shelves and tables overflowed with an eclectic assortment of books. My mother was a voracious reader and instilled in me a love for the written word from a young age.
Opening the pages of a book felt like stepping into a world where ideas and possibilities seemed endless.
I learned to read at five-years old, and it felt like a natural progression to want to express myself through writing by the time I was 10.
With the advent of Covid-19, reading Last Call for Caviar is strangely prophetic, especially as the world you describe in it – as well as the sequel Maya Rising – is eerily accurate?
It’s human nature to seek answers, particularly when frightening events occurring in real time mimic fiction. We sit up and take notice, draw parallels. We ask ourselves: Could this really happen? How bad can it get?
In ancient times, our ancestors turned to shamans and prophets for guidance to explain the mysteries of the unknown and to predict what our future held in store for us.
Dystopian literature and film serve a similar purpose, through cautionary tales of what could happen if humanity doesn’t turn way from a certain path.
To do that well, you need to start with a plausible premise – one that resonates, whether it be environmental, existential, or even a contagion sweeping across the globe. Add a dash of imagination and ratchet up the stakes a few notches to create a believable tale.
Today, we’re living in a dystopian film. Flights are grounded; borders are closed. Our world has been altered beyond recognition; uncertainty consumes our thoughts.
This is a pivotal moment in history, but it can also be one of hope – to collectively reimagine a post-Covid world and how we treat each other going forward.
Humanity, and working together, has overcome great and terrible challenges in the past. The choice is ours: doom or hope.

How do you find inspiration to write?
Many imagine that inspiration is a bottomless well that creatives magically tap into at will.
I find that inspiration is an elusive creature. It is exhilarating when it shows up, but it strikes at the most inopportune times and runs off before you even have a chance to properly say hello. You always have to have a pen handy to jot down that idea or lyrical prose; you have to lure inspiration to your side.
You show up every day, put in the hard work, then inspiration flows.
What is your daily routine as a writer?
When I start a new project, it seems like I’m standing at the bottom of an insurmountable mountain. I have no idea how I’m going to get to the top.
I put one foot in front of the other. I know it’s going to be a marathon and I have to pace myself, be disciplined and stick to a routine.
Mornings are spent doing chores and some form of exercise: yoga, dance or swimming. I head back home for a healthy lunch, then I write, or do research, until early evening.
I still read voraciously. It’s impossible to be a writer if you don’t read. I usually fall asleep watching the latest series that I’m following. The next morning, I get up. Wash, rinse and repeat.
What are you presently working on?
I have several projects, including a screen-adaptation of Last Call for Caviar and Maya Rising for an eight-episode dramatic series for streaming platforms.
During the long days of lockdown, I wrote the screen-adaptation of my yet-to-be published new novel Always Choose Love: an epic modern-day love story. The screen version is adapted into a seven-episode romantic thriller. Set against the background of the West African migrant crisis and human trafficking via the Sahara Desert and Libya to Europe, the story takes place in Sicily, Malta and Africa. The novel version of Always Choose Love will be published in 2021.
How has your writing been influenced by your time spent living in the South of France?
Monaco and France’s culture, history, people, language, and locals permeate my stories to the point that they’ve become standalone characters in their own right.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
At certain moments in my life, I’ve been dealt tough cards, so finding the resiliency to ride out the storm and come out whole the other side.
I feel that you know all the great personalities that have lived in Monaco, which one stands out?
Over the years, I’ve met quite a few. I hosted a birthday party in my home for a friend, which was attended by AS Monaco players of France’s 1998 Champion World Cup Team. I hiked to the Sanctuary of Laghet with a princess. I have done private dance classes with two world-class tennis players – male and female – at Monte Carlo Country Club. Afterwards, they both won the Australian Open, and I like to think putting a little rumba in their step made all the difference.
In 2018, I met Monaco resident Lewis Hamilton backstage at Tommy Hilfiger’s fashion show. What impressed me is his conviction that we can always rise. No matter how many times life or circumstance knocks you down, there’s still tomorrow to achieve your dreams.
All encounters were enriching in their own way. It’s hard to pick just one.
If you had to describe your personality in one word, what would it be?
Curious.
What do you love about Monaco that makes it unique to any other place?
The international flavour of Monaco, where residents from different countries and cultures live in close proximity. Sitting in a café or walking the streets is like taking a trip around the world.
What is your favourite quote or motto that you live by or that comforts you?
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” By Martin Luther King.
 
 

Alpes-Maritimes introduces curfew

by: Cassandra Tanti
10/09/2020

Restaurants and bars in the French Riviera will be forced to close by 1am for at least a month as the Prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes attempts to stem an alarming rise in the number of Covid infections.
The measure comes as the south of France was singled out during a Scientific Council press conference on Wednesday. Its president, Jean-François Delfraissy, said that current infection rates in France were “worrying”, however he favoured localised measures as opposed to a general lockdown, particularly in places like the south of France where several clusters have been reported. He urged leaders to react quickly in the coming days to counter the rise in cases throughout the country.
With the threat of a lockdown looming, Prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes Bernard Gonzalez announced that he was placing a 1am curfew on bars and restaurants in municipalities with more than 2,000 inhabitants, and a 11pm curfew on those with less than 2,000 inhabitants.
The order is in place until 15th October 2020 and will be controlled by the police and gendarmerie.
Meanwhile, the Scientific Council said that the country’s 14-day quarantine has not worked and a lack of adhesion to the rules has “weakened our ability to control contamination chains”.
The council therefore suggested reducing quarantine to seven days as people may find it easier to stick to.
Recent analysis shows that most people who test positive for Covid are only contagious for around 10-days – four days prior to symptoms and six days after.
The reduced quarantine time will be discussed during the weekly Defence Council meeting on Friday.
 
 

Circus Festival 2021 cancelled

by: Stephanie Horsman
10/09/2020

The Monte-Carlo International Circus Festival will not go ahead as planned in January 2021, the Organising Committee announced this week, citing the current and ongoing health crisis.

The beloved festival, under the Presidency of Princess Stephanie, is the latest high-profile event in Monaco to be taken off the agenda.

The 45th edition will now take place from 20th to 30th January, 2022 and the New Generation Circus, which is in its 10th year, will go forward on 5th and 6th February 2022.

The organisers have expressed their “regret” over the cancellation, but explain that, “Given the current health situation around Covid-19, we had to make this decision, because as you know, the Monte-Carlo International Circus Festival is the largest circus event in the world with a gathering of more than 200 artists coming from 20 different countries and with a very international audience.”

They go on to explain: “We sincerely regret this decision, but in view of the responsibility for the health and safety of all, we are certain of your understanding.”

The circus takes months of preparation and welcomes around 200 artists from 20 different nations, so it is easy to see why the logisitics, under the circumstances, would be difficult.

The circus was started in 1974 by Prince Rainier III and has traditionally attracted top-talent from all over the world. Princess Stephanie first juried the circus at the age of nine and now supervises all aspects of the Big Top event including act selection and production detail.

The circus is split into three categories – art, comedy and animals, following time-honoured circus traditions. The Monte-Carlo Circus Festival has made a point to use the old ways whilst incorporating the new. It has a firm policy on animals and will only engage acts who have a track record of treating their animals well that is beyond reproach.