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Month: November 2020

World Travel Awards 2020

by: Stephanie Horsman
09/11/2020

The winners of the latest World Travel Awards have been announced with the Fairmont and the Hermitage nabbing top spots for Monaco’s best hotel and best business hotel respectively, while the Hôtel de Paris was crowned best resort in the Principality.
Despite the dismal year in tourism brought on by the health situation, the World Travel Awards 2020 was still on the case, selecting the best of the best in tourism across the globe based on the votes of tourism professionals and guests.
In the hotel sector, the Hôtel Hermitage Monte-Carlo took home Monaco’s Leading Business Hotel award, beating out the Columbus, Fairmont, Hôtel de Paris, Hôtel Metropole and Le Méridian Beach Plaza.
The Leading Hotel prize went to the Fairmont Monte Carlo, which won over the same list of nominees.
“The hotel and its teams are very proud of this recognition: in these complicated times, this award celebrates excellence, the fruit of the work accomplished by all the colleagues who, without fail and in all circumstances, keep their promise of exemplary service every day,” reads a statement from the Fairmont Hotel.
The Best Hotel Suite award was given to the Diamond Suite at the Hôtel Hermitage, taking the spot against stiff competition from the Carre d’Or Suite at the Hôtel Metropole, the Hôtel de Paris’s Princess Grace Diamond Suite and the Presidential Suite at Le Meridien.
The Leading Resort in Monaco this year is the Hôtel de Paris, which claimed the prize against the Fairmont, Le Meridien and Monte Carlo Bay.
Monaco’s Leading Travel Agency in 2020 was Avalon Events Organisation, while the best destination management company was Jet-Travel Monaco.
Finally, Avis was the best car hire outfit, beating out Hertz, MC Luxury Rental and Top Car.
The results were announced on 2nd November when they were, for the first time, handed out virtually.
The World Travel Awards sets out “to acknowledge, reward and celebrate excellence across all sectors of the global travel and tourism industry.”
 
Photo: Fairmont Hotel (top left) Hôtel Hermitage (top right, courtesy SBM) and the Hôtel Hermitage (bottom, courtesy SBM), compilation by Monaco Life
 
 

AS Monaco win crosstown match against Nice

by: Stephanie Horsman
09/11/2020

The Red and Whites have beaten Riviera rival OGC Nice in a hard-fought match ending in a solid 2-1 victory.
Crosstown rivals AS Monaco and OGC Nice played their 99th match against each other on Sunday at the Allianz Riviera, ending in an exciting win for the Red and Whites.
Coach Niko Kovac said it best in a rare display of enthusiastic compliments for his team, saying that his men, “played very good football, especially in the first 30 minutes when we were close to perfection.”
The coach maintained the 4-4-2 starting line-up from the teams’ previous win against Bordeaux, with the notable exception of Vito Mannone, who was in the goal box in place of the injured Benjamin Lecomte.
Monaco hit the ground running with a series of excellent plays, starting as soon as three minutes in when Kevin Volland almost made a goal, instead hitting the crossbar. This seemed to rev the Red and Whites up and they continued with some strong plays by Volland, Wissam Ben Yedder and Youssouf Fofana.
Finally, at the 23-minute mark, Axel Disani took a perfect header, converting it into the opening score of the game, his second goal of the season. At halftime, the score sat at 1-0 Monaco favour.
After the break, around 53 minutes in, it was Sofiane Diop, who had made some excellent assists earlier, who got the ball between the posts, scoring the second goal for Monaco.
Nice sprung to action and in the 69th minute saw Pierre Lees-Melou made a fantastic play, beating out Mannone for the goal, their only score of the game.
“It’s been a few years since AS Monaco won in Nice, so it’s a great satisfaction for the team and the supporters,” said Coach Kovac after the match. “We were able to create a lot of opportunities for ourselves and logically managed to open the scoring. I think this victory is deserved.”
This win puts Monaco in 6th position in the Ligue 1 standings, a good place to be as they go into the break. The team will then take on number one ranked Paris Saint-Germain at a home game at Stade Louis II on the 20th of November.
 
Photo by AS Monaco
 
 

Call to suspend Schengen open borders

by: Stephanie Horsman
09/11/2020

Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi is pushing for tighter border control measures after the murderous attack at the Cathedral of Notre-Dame which claimed three lives.
The city of Nice was targeted during the 29th October terrorist attack “not because it was Nice, but because of its proximity to the border,” argues the city’s Mayor Christian Estrosi. As a result, his local government is now calling for border controls with Italy to be strengthened to block potentially dangerous people from entering the country.
French President Emmanuel Macron has already doubled the country’s border control forces and vows to “fundamentally change the rules”. But for Mayor Estrosi, this is not enough. He wants a full suspension of the Schengen agreement, which allows free travel amongst 26 European states – the same measure that was enforced in
2015 following a spate of terrorist attacks on French soil.
According to the Mayor of the Italian border town Ventimiglia, Gaetano Scullino, anywhere from 35 to 70 new arrivals land at the train station per day. The huge number of migrants is putting a strain on the town, with locals tired and frightened by the growing itinerant population. The mayor says he is fed up with Europe’s inability to help the situation.
President Macron echoed the sentiment last Thursday, when he called for more protection of the EU’s external borders.
“I am in favour of a deep overhaul of Schengen to re-think its organisation and to strengthen our common border security with a proper border force,” said the president to France 24. He revealed that he will present a proposal at the EU summit in December, adding that the recent attacks should come as a warning that no one is exempt from the risk of terrorism.
Last year, Macron wrote in a letter ahead of the European elections last year that Europe needed a common border force and a unified asylum office, as well as stricter border obligations and more marked assistance from all member states to offer intelligence under the authority of one banner.
Under the current situation the countries, mainly on the Mediterranean basin, take the brunt of illegal immigration and are overwhelmed by the cost and care necessary to deal with the problem.
 
Photo source: Pixabay
 
 
 

National Day 2020 adjustments

by: Cassandra Tanti
08/11/2020

National Day celebrations will go ahead this year, however there will be a number of changes including the cancellation of the parade in front of the Prince’s Palace and the fireworks show.
In a statement released on Friday, the Palace detailed the schedule of events for National Day 19th November in the context of the current health crisis.
“In order to limit travel as much as possible, only people residing in the Principality and its neighbouring region have been invited. The diplomatic and consular corps will be represented by the dean and vice-dean of the diplomatic corps in the Principality, the president of the Association of Honorary Consuls of Monaco, and non-resident Monaco ambassadors. The reception of the diplomatic and consular corps is cancelled, as well as the fireworks show at Port Hercules,” reads the statement.
Meanwhile, medal presentation ceremonies by the Minister of State have also been cancelled. Recipients will receive their medals along with a letter either at their home or workplace. For Monegasque seniors, the packages that are usually given to them at the Foyer Rainier III will be delivered directly to their homes this year.
Additionally, all the awards ceremonies by the Prince will take place in the Cour d’Honneur and there will be no reception afterwards. The medals will be awarded individually.
This year, the Prince also wants to highlight the people who are particularly involved in the fight against the epidemic, therefore a special Covid-19 recognition has been created. The recipients will be honoured at a ceremony at the Prince’s Palace on Monday, 16th November.
The Te Deum Mass will begin at 10am but the number of guests has been halved.
Finally, the parade that traditionally takes place on the Place du Palais has been cancelled. However, the taking of arms in the main courtyard is maintained after the religious ceremony and by invitation only.
Finally, a concert by Cécilia Bartoli and the Prince’s Musicians, scheduled at the Grimaldi Forum, will be reduced by two-thirds and limited to 500 guests.
According to the Palace, the specifics of the events are subject to change amid the evolving health situation linked to Covid-19.
 
 
 

New rapid tests arrive

by: Stephanie Horsman
06/11/2020

The Principality has just received 10,000 Covid-19 antigen tests, expanding Monaco’s testing capabilities significantly.

On Thursday 5th November, a select group of the Prince’s Riflemen were the first to administer and receive the new Covid antigen tests acquired by the government. The soldier’s test results, all negative, were received in under 20 minutes.

This alternative to PCR testing has been approved by the French Ministry of Solidarity and Health, and results are obtained quickly without lab analysis and with little in the way of extra processing equipment. Much like a home test for pregnancy, a colorimetric strip shows the results. One stripe is negative, two is positive, meaning that the virus is active in the patient’s body.

The fast turn-around time and ease of use will free up labs and allow for more efficient and quicker tracing abilities. As a result, Monaco will be able have up to 400 samples analysed in an eight hour period.

Additionally, this kind of test is accepted at airports in Rome in lieu of a PCR test, and airlines are lobbying for more airports to accept them as well. With backlogs at labs in many countries, the requirement of getting a negative test result 48 to 72 hours prior to flying ranges from difficult to impossible under the current situation, so a rapid test like this would be music to Covid-weary traveller’s ears.

But there is a downside.

“Antigen tests are less precise than PCR tests which remain the gold standard in Covid screening,” Alexandre Bordero, Director of Health Action told Monaco Matin. “If an antigen test is doubtful or positive, it will be confirmed by a PCR test.”

These tests will not be carried out in Monaco at the Espace Leo Ferré, where the PCR test centre is set up. They will be offered by other local health professionals, such as pharmacists, nurses and private doctors, though a ministerial decision must first be signed to allow health professionals to administer these tests.  

Currently, no costs or reimbursement information on the rapid tests is available.

 
Photo © Government Communication Department / Stéphane Danna
 
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Saliva tests being trialled in Monaco


 

Riviera Airport trials Covid test room

by: Stephanie Horsman
06/11/2020

Nice Côte d’Azur Airport is poised to be the model for other airports with the establishment of a Covid antigen testing centre on-site for passengers heading to selected locations.
The Nice Airport authorities reacted quickly to the call on 15th October from the French Minister of Transport to create a “health corridor” at the facility, organising and setting up a room in Terminal 2 exclusively dedicated to administering Covid tests for passengers on a voluntary basis.
The initial phase will be viewed as a “full-scale test that aims to be deployed on a wider scale and in the long term in other airports.”
The airport has been working closely with the French government, the city of Nice, the regional health authority and two partner airlines, Air France and Alitalia, for this first phase.
Tests will be offered to passengers travelling via Paris Orly or Paris Charles de Gaulle to the overseas territories as well as those going to Rome. They can also be requested by any outbound passenger wishing to be tested.
According to the airport, limiting testing to clients of Air France and Alitalia for the short term is allowing it to fine-tune the process before expanding, giving it an opportunity to anticipate the number of passengers who may come in, ensuring a fast and efficient service.
“By working hand in hand with French public services, the city of Nice, the health authorities, the airlines and their ground-handling agents, we are creating the optimal conditions to enable the largest number of people to be tested all while maintaining fluid passenger flows and the punctuality of departing flights. We would like to thank the Minister for Transport, his teams and all the partners in this pilot project for having trusted us to implement this experiment, which is set to be deployed on a wider scale,” said Franck Goldnadel, Chairman of the Board for Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur.
The centre is open daily from 5am and can accommodate up to six stations running simultaneously for sample-taking and four for those handling the administrative side.
 
Photo source: Pixabay