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Month: January 2021

New developments in vaccination programme

by: Cassandra Tanti
21/01/2021

The Grimaldi Forum will become vaccination headquarters from Monday, while a new online booking service is helping to speed up the rollout in Monaco.
People over the age of 65 and those with underlying health conditions are the first to have access to the new online booking service for Covid-19 vaccinations.
The government announced on Wednesday that it had launched the new digital service to speed up the vaccination rollout in the Principality.
People just need to visit the website www.covid19.mc to signal their intention to be vaccinated against Covid-19. They will then be contacted by phone to arrange an appointment.
It is still possible for people to make their appointments by phone by calling the Covid-19 Call Centre at 92 05 55 00, seven days a week from 8am to 8pm.
Meanwhile, the vaccination programme will shift from the Espace Léo Ferré to the Grimaldi Forum from Monday 25th January for operational purposes.
A spokesperson for the Grimaldi Forum has confirmed to Monaco Life that the Principality’s largest culture and congress centre will be repurposed for the important health initiative.
From that date, the Espace Léo Ferré will once again be entirely dedicated to PCR screening for the Covid virus.
 
Photo of the Grimaldi Forum by Monaco Life, all rights reserved
 

Euro Cup win for Roca Team

by: Stephanie Horsman
21/01/2021

The AS Monaco Basketball team dominated their Spanish opponent from Unicaja Malaga on Wednesday night with a crushing 90 to 71 victory. 
The Roca Team soundly beat Unicaja Malaga by a whopping 19 points at Salle Gaston Medecin, making back-to-back wins for the team in the Euro Cup Top 16. This win puts them squarely at the top of their division.
Despite a rather shaky start that saw Monaco down by ten points in the first four minutes and were even farther behind at the end of the first quarter hour of play where they trailled 19 to 37.
The team finally rallied and by the 24th minute they had evened the score, thanks in large part to their concentrated efforts and teamwork.
Captain Dee Bost was the first to shake thigs up and when the fire was lit under him, with Rob Gray, Mathias Lessort, and JJ O’Brien soon to follow.
Monaco made 32 shots out of 75 on the night, with 10 out of 27 three pointers converted. The team collectively made 31 rebounds, of which nine were Lessort.
“The team was on fire, not just me,” Mathias Lessort said after the game. “The locker room was a happy place, it was a big game for us, a very important victory in a very contested group. In the second half, we were very aggressive, we raised the bar, everyone gave it their all. Of course, the goal is to continue like this, we battle for first place. The last time I took eight offensive rebounds? I don’t remember, it had to be in the youth categories.”
Rob Gray was high-scorer on the night for both teams with a massive 24 points under his belt. Lessort also had a fantastic night, scoring 20 points. Bost and O’Brien were no slouches either, adding 15 and 13 points respectively to the total.
Coach Zvezdan Mitrovic was proud of his men, saying, “The way we played in the second half is very important. Great aggressiveness, great energy. After that, we broke free in attack. The boys gave everything on the floor, a very good state of mind.”
The Roca team return next Tuesday at 8:45pm where they will be playing against Joventut Badalone in Barcelona.
 
Photo courtesy AS Monaco Basketball
 
 

Well-being on demand

by: Stephanie Horsman
21/01/2021

In Your Element On Demand, a global well-being platform for businesses, is giving free access to their experts, coaches and video library for one weekend.

In Your Element On Demand, an online wellness platform created for the workplace, is offering the free weekend from Friday 29th January to Sunday 31st January. Participants will be given unlimited access to up to 15 videos from the platform’s ‘Winter Self-Care Support Library’ which will allow individuals to create a tailor-made wellness weekend at home.

The offer includes a number of self-care workshops that cover topics as diverse as nutrition, mobility and movement, massage, pilates, reflexology, numerology, yoga, qigong and mindfulness.

The site was created by Krista Madden, who launched In Your Element in 2019. With the health crisis, she pivoted her company from a festival-based model to an online one. Her focus is on employees, as so many people now work from home due to the crisis and are suffering with declines to both their physical and mental health.

“With so many teams working remotely there is a loss of connection and sense of

community,” said Krista Madden. “In Your Element is a wellness video platform for businesses which gives staff access to coaches and experts who will inspire them to create healthy habits and rituals, which will help support them with mental and physical health issues. It’s about restoring that sense of community and support, which is so important for a good company culture. It helps to give employees back something to chat to their teams about.”

The videos are separated into four “elements”- air, fire, water and earth- which allow for a specialised programme custom made for each person.

Once the free introductory weekend is over, there is an option to purchase a monthly subscription to the site or to build a one-off personalised package. To sign up, email the organisers at info@inyourelementfestival.com and a private password will be sent to access the event.

 
 

Superfast shuttle boat trials ahead of launch

by: Stephanie Horsman
20/01/2021

An innovative new shuttle boat called Monaco One, which combines maritime and aeronautical technology, will be able to transport passengers from the new port in Ventimiglia to Monaco in just 10 minutes. 
The eco-friendly navette is currently undergoing sea trials between the newly opened Cala del Forte marina in Ventimiglia and Monaco. It is set to be launched this spring, giving passengers a smooth and swift 10-minute journey between the two locations.
The catamaran-style boat is equipped with two 350 horsepower engines that boast lower fuel consumption and can reach speeds of 85 to 90 kilometres.
“The air which rushes under the hull makes it possible to have a boat which, finally, has little lift on the water and therefore consumes half the fuel than a normal boat,” explained Daniel Realini, the Deputy General Manager of Société Monégasque Internationale Portuaire (SMIP), to local media.
The environmentally-friendly aspects of the airplane wing-shaped Monaco One made the €1.2 million price tag more palatable, and when final testing is completed at the end of February the shuttle will be ready to take on passengers.
The 12-person service is free and will be operational in time for the Monaco Grand Prix and other planned events in spring, though casual day-trippers will not be invited to climb aboard. The service is the exclusive domain of those who are mooring in the Cala del Forte port in Italy.
Monaco One is the third aerodynamic lift vessel to be built by French company Advanced Aerodynamic Vessels (A2V). Its design gives those onboard the impression they are floating on air, and despite the speed at which it travels the ride is smooth with little to no bounce.
“The boat has an inverted wing shape. It is a design that combines marine technique with that of aeronautics,” said Mr Realini.
The Cala del Forte marina was opened to boats in October and now has 20 vessels moored out of 178 spaces. The occupation level is not high at the moment, but this is expected to change come summer time when space is at a premium in the Principality.
Facilities will be completed by April, possibly before, making it ready for the official inauguration scheduled for July. Prince Albert II will be in attendance for the event.
 
Photo by Advanced Aerodynamic Vessels (A2V)
 
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Airport meets strict international health standards

by: Cassandra Tanti
20/01/2021

Nice airport has just been awarded the ACI Health Accreditation, an international validation of the health measures the airport has implemented over the past months including the creation of a Covid testing centre.
Nice becomes the second airport in France, after Paris, to receive the accreditation, which recognises safety measures that have been introduced in all areas frequented by passengers and airport staff, including access to the terminal, check-in, inspection and screening stations, boarding, lounges, shops, catering, border control, and luggage.
“Obtaining this certification following a strict documentary audit process is a deserved reward for all airport employees who, since the start of the pandemic, have sought and implemented better health measures to deal with an unprecedented situation,” said Franck Goldnadel, Chairman of the Executive Board of Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur.
To achieve the accreditation, airports must comply with national regulations, as well as the recommendations of the ACI (International Airports Council) and the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation) based on the best practices of the profession.
Disinfection, social distancing, personnel protection measures, and the creation of a screening centre are among the initiatives that were studied and approved.
“We are convinced that the resumption of our activities will not be possible without the return of confidence, of passengers as well as of our partners, companies, stopover assistants, but also traders,” said Mr Goldnadel. “This certification illustrates our sense of responsibility and our commitment to the future of air transport, which must not only be low in emissions but also completely safe from a health point of view.”
 
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Sainte Devote celebrations curbed by Covid

by: Stephanie Horsman
20/01/2021

Regulations surrounding the coronavirus situation have led organisers to make some adjustments to the Sainte Dévote celebrations on Tuesday. Here is how it will work.
Sainte Dévote, the patron saint of Monaco, will still be commemorated on Tuesday 26th January, although celebrations will be scaled back somewhat.
Only those authorised may take part in the Receiving of the Relics, the Procession and the Salvation of the Most Blessed Sacrament in the Church of Sainte Devote.
The traditional boat burning ceremony will go ahead on the north side of Quai Albert I however the fireworks have been cancelled. Additionally, the entire celebration will be completed by 7pm in respect of the curfew.
To allow some public viewing, an area will be set up with 150 socially-distanced seats and equipped with a giant screen broadcasting the event. Those in the area are asked to follow health measures and will be required to wear masks.
The public will not be allowed to recover nails from the symbolically burned boat this year, contrary to the usual custom.
In order to access the train station, passengers will be restricted to using the Sainte Dévote corridor from 4:30pm. The Sainte Dévote stairs will also be closed to access at that time.
Meanwhile, traffic disruptions are expected. From 4:30pm to 5:30pm, the road to the swimming pool will be closed between Avenue John F. Kennedy and the Jules Soccal jetty. Between 5:15pm and 6:20pm, punctual traffic cuts will be made on Boulevard Albert 1er and Avenue d’Ostende to allow the event to run smoothly.
Slight delays will be expected on urban bus lines 1, 2 and 6 and interurban transport lines 100 and 110 during the traffic cuts referred to above.
With regard to public car parks, information will be given at the access.
The Sainte Dévote event celebrates the Corsican-born Monegasque patron saint, killed in 303AD during the Christian persecutions of the Roman Empire. Tradition states that, after being martyred, her body was placed on a boat bound for Africa by fellow Christians rather than being burnt as was the edict demanded by the Romans in an effort to prevent her veneration.
Legend states a storm overtook the boat and with the aid of a dove she was guided to the shores of Monaco. In her honour, a chapel was built on the site of the current church. It is said that flowers bloom before 27thJanuary, ahead of season, on the site.