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Day: 1 February 2021

Covid: Majority of fatalities occurred in one month

by: Cassandra Tanti
01/02/2021

Monaco’s Covid death rate has skyrocketed since the beginning of 2021, with 10 out of all 14 fatalities occurring in January alone, and the latest on 1st February.
It is an unfortunate and growing theme in the government’s daily coronavirus count – the death of another Monaco resident who tested positive for Covid-19. The worrying trend peaked at the end of January with four deaths within just five days and has continued into February, with another consecutive fatality, this time a 65-year-old. It brings Monaco’s total to 14 and its fatality rate to 0.9%.
On 29th January, a 62-year-old man became the youngest Covid victim to date in Monaco. He has been identified as Jean-Marc Giraldi, president of the Monaco Nautical Society and good friend of Prince Albert II. The death has rocked the tight-knit sporting community of Monaco.
Three deaths last year
For the entire year of 2020, Monaco managed to scrape through with just three deaths. However, older residents now appear to be paying the price for a loosening of attitudes over Christmas and New Year, holiday travel to high-risk zones, and widespread contamination within the home, which the government has warned is the main source of contagion.
The Princess Grace Hospital Centre (CHPG) is “busy but not saturated”, its director Benoîte de Sevelinges has told Monaco Matin. Still, it opened in Monday a new unit for 10 additional beds to add “flexibility in care and avoid a possible overload”. It will bring the hospital’s general care capacity for Covid-positive patients to 40, yet it is treating 53 people for coronavirus symptoms.
Meanwhile, there are currently 10 critical cases being treated in the hospital’s ICU, representing 0.7% of total cases. The CHPG can accommodate 19 Covid patients in intensive care.
Monaco’s response
Given the recent spate of deaths in the Principality, the recovery rate is now 85.6% as authorities push ahead with a large scale vaccination campaign which Stéphane Valeri, president of the National Council, hopes will lead to the protection of at least 80,000 residents, students and workers.
Monaco’s vaccination centre was moved to the Grimaldi Forum in late January to boost capabilities to 600 per day, as Prince Albert II of Monaco extended current restrictions – including the 7pm curfew – until at least 15th February to stem the rise in cases.
 
Note: This story was updated late Monday evening to include figures for 1st February
 
 

Does this mean we can do lunch in Italy?

by: Cassandra Tanti
01/02/2021

Italy has just reopened restaurants and museums in many regions including Liguria, despite warnings from public health experts that it is too early. So, what does it mean for day trippers from Monaco?
Based on the latest data by the Health Ministry and Higher Institute, coronavirus risk levels were downgraded on Sunday in most parts of the country.
All but five of Italy’s regions are now considered yellow under a colour-coded system of yellow, orange and red that indicates coronavirus risk and the restrictions in place.
As of Sunday, only the regions of Puglia, Sardinia, Sicily, Umbria and the autonomous province of Bolzano are in the orange zone.
All the other regions, including the neighbouring territory of Liguria, are in the yellow zone.
It means that customers can consume food and drink in bars and restaurants from 5am to 6pm. After that, only take-away and home delivery are allowed.
Movement within a yellow region is also allowed until 10pm, however “non-essential” movement between regions is still banned.
Theatres and cinemas remain closed.
There are currently no regions in Italy’s highest-risk red zones.

Map of Italy’s coloured zones from 1st February

EU warns it is “too early”
In contrast, other countries in Europe are looking at hardening restrictions, including France which has cut short of introducing a third lockdown but has tightened border restrictions and closed large shopping centres.
The World Health Organisation’s European branch warned on Thursday that it was “too early to ease up” due to a “very high” presence of the virus.
“Yes, Italy is bucking the trend,” said Walter Ricciardi, a public health expert who advises Italy’s health minister on the pandemic.
He told AFP lockdown measures adopted in Italy over Christmas and New Year had helped stabilise virus numbers, without lowering them.
Nevertheless, “right now it is extremely difficult to propose stricter measures due to resistance from both politicians and public opinion,” Ricciardi said.
According to the latest figures from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Italy currently has an incidence rate of 315 per 100,000 inhabitants over a 14-day-period.
But according to a report from Italian intelligence agencies, a change in the way test results were reported, along with regional inconsistencies in reporting methodology, means that infection rates could have been underestimated by as much as 50% since mid-November.
Meanwhile, France and Monaco’s incidence rates are sitting at around 400.
Can I travel to Italy?
People wishing to travel from Monaco to Italy must fill out a self-declaration and prove that they have undergone a PCR or antigen test with a negative result within 48 hours of arrival in Italy. Travellers are also under obligation to notify local health authorities of their arrival.
You can find the travel document in English here.
Although it is easy for Monaco residents to cross the border by car and bypass controls, authorities are still undertaking checks and failure to present a travel document and negative test to authorities can result in a penalty, with fines ranging from €400 to €3,000 euros which can increase for multiple offences.
Do you still have questions about travelling to Italy? Take this questionnaire in English on the Italian health ministry website: https://infocovid.viaggiaresicuri.it/index_en.html
 
Related stories:
France closes borders to non-EU countries
 
Photo by Kate Townsend on Unsplash
 
 

What impact has Covid had on Monaco’s property market?

by: Stephanie Horsman
01/02/2021

Real estate sales and prices were down in 2020, not a huge surprise in a year that saw nearly every sector of the economy hit by Covid. But it wasn’t nearly as bad as it could have been, with Monaco’s property market still amongst the strongest around.

The property market is driven by deliveries and product and, according to the latest report by IMSEE, 2020 saw the delivery of only 26 new apartments in the Principality.

Echoing trends in 2019, “off-plan” sales represented the majority of transactions representing 75%, but the number of sales remained much lower than that observed over the previous five years.

The real estate resale market also trended down compared to the two previous years. In all, the cumulative transactions last year of both new properties and resale ones was down by 22.3%, levels roughly the same as in 2017.

In hard numbers, this means there were 395 resales in 2020 valued at €1.954 million and only 16 new apartments sold equalling €218 million in sales.

The decrease in the number of transactions is more evident in small apartments. In 2019, studios and one-bedroom properties accounted for two-thirds of all transactions in volume. In 2020, that number dropped to one-third.

Meanwhile, less studios and two rooms were sold last year, but an increase in three-room sales put the overall figure at -32%, a smaller drop than the number of sales in 2020 which were down by 52%.

The average price per square metre also decreased, but only slightly at -1.1%, bringing the average to €47,619 euros. However, this average price has increased by 52.3% in the past 10 years.

The Larvotto area’s average price per square metre is again slightly higher than in other districts. La Condamine saw a -9.3% drop in prices, putting it at under €50,000 per square metre, whilst Monte-Carlo and Fontvieille remain above that water mark. But the biggest jump is Moneghetti, which has seen a massive 115% rise in prices over the past 10 years.

 
Photo by Cassandra Tanti for Monaco Life
 
 

AS Monaco makes it five for five

by: Stephanie Horsman
01/02/2021

The Red and Whites took home their fifth straight win on Sunday, narrowly defeating Nantes at the Stade Beaujoire. It keeps them in a solid fourth place in Ligue 1 standings and only three points off the top three.
AS Monaco’s lineup against Nantes looked incredibly similar to the one against Marseille, except for the substitution of Krépin Diatta standing in for the suspended Ruben Aguilar.
Nantes was already on the back foot before the match even started, suffering the longest losing streak in the history of the club. An unprecedented 12 losses trailed behind them, and this had to be on their minds as they faced off against Monaco.
The opening goal didn’t happen until the very end of the first half, when Chilean Guillermo Maripán put one between the posts, sending the teams into halftime with Monaco up 1-0.
After returning to the pitch, the hour mark saw Monaco score another goal, this time by Kevin Volland putting the Red and Whites solidly in the lead.
Things got a little dicey after this. At 73 minutes in, Nantes’ team captain Nicolas Pallois received his second yellow card on the night, ejecting him from the game. They were now at a one man disadvantage, and should have been easier pickings for Monaco. But in the 84th minute, Nantes’ Renaud Emond made a brilliant header through the posts putting them only one point down with six minutes on the clock.
Those last minutes were nerve-wracking but Monaco held on to their lead, finishing the match with a 2-1 win.
“The first 75 minutes were very good, before the red card,” said Coach Niko Kovac after the game. “We had possession of the ball, we played our style of football. We were very skilled with the ball, we created a lot of chances. I’m not happy with the last 15 minutes, as we were a little nervous.”
The next game for AS Monaco will be this Wednesday at Stade Louis II in the reverse fixture of the Côte dAzur derby against OGC Nice at 9pm.
 
(Monaco Life with ASM press release, photo by AS Monaco)
 
 

Roca Team blasts Le Portel

by: Stephanie Horsman
01/02/2021

AS Monaco Basketball won a solid victory in their Jeep Elite match against ESSM Le Portel on Saturday night, a much-needed confidence boost after their defeat last week against Badalone.
The Roca Team had a solid 82-60 win at home at Gaston Médecin in their match against Le Portel. It’s not a huge surprise they came out swinging after their disappointing defeat in their last match, a Euro Cup 7 game, against Spanish team Badalone.
This game was a far cry from that nail biter. Team Captain Dee Bost scored eight points in four minutes and the team started the match with an impressive 14 to two lead. They didn’t let up throughout the rest of the match, only trailing behind once in the second quarter.
Whilst all games are important to some degree, the general feeling was that this match was a practice run for the big Euro Cup 7 rematch against Badalone on Tuesday, where the Roca boys hope to pay them back after their devastating loss last week.
“The result was satisfactory, as is the manner. Le Portel is a good team. We kept first place and we are ready for Tuesday against Badalone,” said Coach Zvezdan Mitrovic, rarely one to gush, after the game.
“Tuesday will be a great European match (against Badalone),” added Monaco rear Rob Gray. “We prepared well tonight, Le Portel had energy, they had not played for two weeks. We were solid collectively, we had to defend our first place.”
Monaco made 27 shots out of 64 on the night with 12 out of 34 points made on three-pointers. They captured 38 rebounds, with Damien Inglis having seven on his own, 14 assists and 12 steals.
Rob Gray was high scorer with 18 points, Dee Bost came in just behind him with 16 followed by Mathias Lessort and Abdoulaye Ndoye with eight each.
Monaco will host their new nemesis, Badalone, at home on 2nd February at 7pm.
 
(Monaco Life with ASM Basketball press release, photo by AS Monaco Basketball)