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Day: 25 November 2020

The clock is set

by: Cassandra Tanti
25/11/2020

Covid vaccines will be available in France by the end of the year/early 2021, announced the French president on Tuesday.
During his evening televised address, Emmanuel Macron gave only a few details about the country’s vaccination plan, but it was enough to provide plenty of hope. “Vaccines will be available from the end of December – beginning of January, and a second round will arrive in the spring. This is a great ray of hope. Vaccination will be done in a transparent framework and, let’s be clear, it will not be compulsory.”
Which vaccines will be rolled out?
Laboratories including Pfizer, Moderna, Sanofi and Astrazeneca have all announced their first phase three results, with encouraging efficacy rates of over 90% for some. These clinical trials involve over 70,000 people worldwide, and are being conducted in the United States, Japan, Russia, South Africa, Kenya and Latin America.
There are currently 12 Covid-19 vaccines in phase three clinical trials.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced this week that the commission had pre-ordered up to 160 million doses of Moderna’s Covid vaccine, making it the sixth contract signed between the EU and a pharmaceutical laboratory. She also announced that a seventh contract was currently in the making.
France has pre-ordered 90 million doses from several of these suppliers, so with two doses needed per person, 45 million people in France could be vaccinated initially.
Emmanuel Macron announced the creation of a scientific committee responsible for monitoring vaccination in France as well as a “collective of citizens to involve the population more broadly”.
“I want this to be done in a completely transparent framework,” said the president. “Vaccination must be done in a clear, transparent way, sharing all the information at each stage: what we know and what we don’t know.”
Will it be compulsory?
No. President Macron made it very clear in his speech: “I will not make vaccination compulsory.”
The first to receive the vaccination will be the those who are most at risk.
“We will probably start, from the end of December to the beginning of January, subject to validation by the health authorities, by vaccinating the most fragile people and therefore the oldest. Successive stages will be presented in order, gradually, to allow the vaccination of the largest number of people,” he explained.
According to a report by the Covid-19 Scientific Council in July, a vaccination strategy should include 6.8 million healthcare professionals and 23 million vulnerable people initially.
Which countries?
Once the vaccines are proven to be safe and effective, and the European Medicines Agency has granted them marketing authorisation, they will be rapidly distributed and deployed across Europe. “All member states will have access to Covid-19 vaccines at the same time, based on the size of the population,” said the European Commission in October 2020.
Compulsory vaccine for travel?
Australian airline Qantas has warned that only vaccinated passengers will be allowed onboard its international flights when such treatment becomes available to the general public. “For international travellers arriving in Australia and for people leaving the country, we believe this is a necessity,” CEO Alan Joyce told Channel Nine television.
Qantas is the first big airline to publicly raise the possibility of refusing travel to passengers who have not been vaccinated.
However, given the airline industry is not expecting a vaccine to be readily available until the middle of next year, executives see airport testing as a first step to restarting travel before any jab is rolled out to a critical mass of the population.
“At this stage, our main priority is the adoption of a common testing protocol and the recognition of test standards and measures for travel both in Europe and across the globe,” said Airlines for Europe, a lobby group, to the Financial Times.
According to the FT report, EasyJet said it had no plans to ask passengers to prove they had been vaccinated before travel. IAG, Virgin Atlantic and Ryanair declined to comment.
 
Photo source: Pixabay
 
 

When can I travel through France?

by: Cassandra Tanti
25/11/2020

If everything goes to plan, France will gradually come out of lockdown over the coming weeks. That means people will soon be able to travel to their second homes and fly out of the French Riviera for personal trips.
As announced by French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday night, the first stage of “deconfinement” begins on Saturday 28th November with the re-opening of non-essential stores. (For more details on this, read our full story here.)
But there will be no change to the rules on travel to, from – and in Monaco’s case – through France until 15thDecember.
So, for the next three weeks, travel by plane, car or train, will only be allowed for people in exceptional circumstances and they must still carry an exemption certificate.
This rules-out travelling to second homes in France.
However, things all start to change from 15th December, when the second stage of “deconfinement” kicks in. If the number of daily infections remains below 5,000, travel for personal reasons from or through France and within the EU, the UK and Schengen area will once again be allowed. Exemption certificates will no longer be required.
It means that people will be able to take holidays and visit friends and family within this zone during the festive season.
However, many countries still have requirements on quarantine or negative Covid tests for people entering from abroad, therefore travellers should check the conditions and rules of each country before setting off.
Travel outside of the EU Schengen area is still not authorised for all non-essential travellers, and a specific international exemption certificate must be produced, unless people are travelling to and from a ‘safe country’: Australia, South Korea, Japan, New Zealand, Rwanda, Singapore, and Thailand. Note, this list is updated every two weeks.
 
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France to ease lockdown within days

 
Photo source: Pixabay
 
 

France to ease lockdown within days

by: Stephanie Horsman
25/11/2020

Four weeks after France entered its second lockdown, the country will begin its gradual release, with stores reopening just in time for the busy Christmas period.
French President Emmanuel Macron has given the French public an early Christmas present in the form of a three-stage let-up to the current restrictions in place, beginning this weekend, 28th November. This is due mainly to a notable drop in daily Covid-19 cases around the country.
“The peak of the second wave of the epidemic has passed,” Macron said in his televised speech on Tuesday night. “The spirit of civic responsibility that you showed was effective and we learned to better treat patients… But I call upon your sense of responsibility. This will certainly not be a Christmas like the others.”
The first stage will include the reopening of non-essential shops and businesses, such as clothing retailers and hairdressers. However, they must comply with strict social distancing rules and other health measures already in place. Additionally, they will need to close up by 9pm every night.
Churches and certain cultural sites like museums will be able to accept visitors again starting on Tuesday 1stDecember, though there will be 30 person maximum.
People will also be allowed to exercise within a 20 kilometre radius of their homes for up to three hours, as opposed to the current rule of one kilometre for one hour.
On 15th December, if infections drop to 5,000 or below per day and the daily number of new ICU cases stays between 2,500 and 3,000, lockdown will be officially lifted, making travel for the holidays possible. This date also marks the possibility of reopening cinemas, theatres and museums.
But this freedom comes with strings. There will be a nationwide curfew from 9pm to 7am, with the exceptions of 24th and 31st December, and people gathering at private get togethers are expected to adhere to distancing rules.
The next stage won’t occur until after the holidays. If all goes in the right direction, restaurants will be able to reopen from 20th January. This date does not currently include cafes and bars, and there is no word as yet as when this may happen.
With regard to the opening of ski resorts, Macron only briefly touched upon this, saying that he was coordinating with other European countries.
“We have to do everything in our power to avoid a third wave and a third lockdown,” the French president said. “You must play a central role in this. I appeal to the responsibility and the discipline of each and every one of you.”
 
Photo: Avenue Jean Medecin in Nice, by Monaco Life, all rights reserved
 
 

Free Baroque music concerts

by: Stephanie Horsman
25/11/2020

For lovers of the hauntingly beautiful genre, three Baroque music concerts will be held at St. Charles Church in early December, reserved for Monaco residents only.
On 1st December, concert-goers will be entertained by Misteri Gloriosi, The Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary in Baroque Italy, performed by La Fenice Ensemble and conducted by Jean Tubéry. The evening will feature works by Frescobaldi, Merule, Fasolo, Cazzati, Cima, Grandi, Florimi and Monteverdi.
Then on Thursday 3rd December, a Baroque masterpiece will be rediscovered when the Ensemble Baroque de Monaco, conducted by Mattieu Payrègne, performs L’Assunzione della Beata Vergine by Alessandro Scarlatti. This concert will be held with the support of SOGEDA Monaco.
Finally, on 4th December, fans will enjoy a Musical Journey into the Europe of the Enlightenment by 18thcentury English musician composer and musicographer Charles Burney. This will be narrated by Nicolas Vaude and accompanied by violinist Pierre-Eric Nimylowycz and programme designer and harpsichordist Olivier Baumont.
The concerts are being organised by the Department of Cultural affairs for Monaco residents only and admission is free, subject to availability of seats. As with every event held during these extraordinary times, there will be strict social distancing and health measures in place.
 
Photo by Monaco Life, all rights reserved
 
 

Free laptops part of Digital Transition plan

by: Stephanie Horsman
25/11/2020

The Principality has taken a huge step towards the digitalisation of schools, offering over 1,200 laptops to be used by students and incorporated in to new learning strategies for teachers.

Minister of State Pierre Dartout was personally in charge of handing out the computers on Monday, which were accompanied by textbooks and software chosen by local teachers.

Joining him was Minister of the Interior Patrice Cellario, Interministerial Delegate in charge of the Digital Transition Frédéric Genta, and Director of National Education, Youth and Sports Isabelle Bonnal, who all shared in the experience of seeing a modern middle school class in digital action. 

“The Digital College, through its equipment, software and new practices, responds to three challenges: an educational issue by promoting the educational creativity of the teacher and better learning for students, a cyclical issue linked to Covid-19 in order to facilitate educational continuity outside the classroom, and a generational issue to train the talents of tomorrow that the country needs and to offer the best opportunities to our young people, who must master these tools and know how to use them responsibly,” said the Minister of State.

According to Patrice Cellario, parents, teachers and students have been involved in the process since the start of the project so that their needs are fully taken into account.

“To successfully take over this equipment and build skills over time, tailor-made support has been put in place,” he said.

Not only will the teachers be able to offer tailor-made support, they will also be able to teach in more interactive and interesting ways for students who are used to fast-paced environments and are extremely computer savvy.

“For the students, this digital learning method will enrich the approach of a multitude of subjects,” said Frédéric Genta, “such as modern languages ​​by dubbing a film, for example, history to be discovered via online quizzes, French through collaborative writing and audio-visual illustration work or geography by browsing sites in 3D. But the added value will also be expressed in the acquisition of digital skills for the 21st century, in the establishment of pedagogical continuity in the classroom and outside the classroom, with the added bonus of lighter binders since the textbooks are digitised. Finally, for teachers, it will make it possible to vary learning resources, to consolidate their pedagogy and to innovate more easily in their teaching.”

Isabelle Bonnal added, “Thanks to the equipment of college students, we are concretely entering the era of augmented education. It will be possible to capitalise on our strengths while developing new ways of learning. This transition is certainly digital, but it is also educational.”

Monaco schools have already implemented compulsory programming courses starting with kindergarteners, as well as commissioning EduLab Monaco, a centre which trains teachers how to best work with digital education tools for use in the classroom.

 
Photo ©Manuel Vitali/ Government Communication Department