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Month: May 2021

New QR tracing system to be launched in France

by: Stephanie Horsman
26/05/2021

Starting 9th June, establishments such as bars, cafés, restaurants and gyms, will have QR scanners to alert customers of Covid risks as well as track those who may be contaminated.

The track and trace QR code is called Signal and will form part of the French mobile app Tous Anti Covid.

Just as gyms, bars, restaurants and cafés will all be welcoming clients back indoors, the app will ask people entering these establishments to “sign in” using a QR code, allowing the government to alert those who had been on the premises if an outbreak of Covid has occurred.

The government assured that this system will not be used to track users, allowing for anonymous use. It is also not attached to a location, but to the group at the same location at the same time. All data is deleted after a fortnight.

The QR code is not the same as the new health pass, which allows access to large gatherings such as indoor concerts, theatres or sporting events with more than 1,000 people by offering proof of recent vaccination, negative PCR test or are otherwise immune.

Called a “digital reminder book”, the QR code is by far the easier way to go, though paper versions will be available at establishments, and will be obligatory from 9th June until the government says it is no longer required.

It is a bit of a chequerboard who is required to provide the QR. Outdoor terraces and cinemas for example will not require patrons to sign in. The government has said they are targeting enclosed establishments with poor ventilation and mask-wearing is not continuous.

Business owners can access the professional site at https://qrcode.tousanticovid.gouv.fr to generate the code and then they must have it on display for customer use. Customers will then simply use their QR code scanner to sign in.

If someone at a facility has tested positive, each individual who had been at the site within two hours of the infected person will receive an “orange alert” asking them to “get tested immediately, limit contact and watch for symptoms.”  

If three people from the same place test positive, another alert, a “red alert”, will be sent out recommending people to “isolate and get tested immediately.”

Questions are also arising about the efficacy of such a system which requires one to sign in but does not enforce in any actionable way to follow through if an outbreak has occurred.

The National Commission of Information and Liberties (CNIL) in France has said the app “sufficiently demonstrated the usefulness, at the current stage, of the fight against the epidemic”, but recommended that its mandatory nature “be limited to only establishments open to the public presenting a high risk” of contamination.

 
 
 

Tickets go on sale for AMLA’s annual gala

by: Stephanie Horsman
26/05/2021

AMLA, the Monegasque Association for Latin America, will be holding its yearly gala in June at the Yacht Club of Monaco and will feature a short film premiere, a Latin American themed dinner, presentations, and loads of music and dancing.
The Association Monegasque for Latin America (AMLA) will hold their next Charity Gala event on Saturday 12th June at the Yacht Club of Monaco under the theme ‘Our story of consciousness, connection and balance’.
The elegant evening will begin at 8pm with the premiere of a short seven-minute film directed and produced by the organisation focusing on the interconnectedness of humanity and the earth to raise awareness.
This will be followed by a brief introduction of their charity partner the David de Rothschild FondaMental Fondation Suisse by Professor Jean-Michel Aubry in regards to their scientific research and treatment of mental pathologies such as anxiety and depression. Funds raised by the event will support their cause and allow AMLA to host a scientific exchange in Bolivia with professor Guillermo Rivera, PhD, director of the Mental Health Hospital Japonés and the Universidad Privada de Santa Cruz (UPSA).
The event will unfold gradually from educational into Latin American party and shows, following the expert talks in the fields of Mind, Body and Soul.
The night also includes a Shamanistic Choreography with Sabah Ramani, a short interactive presentation of Dame Marie Diamond who explores the concepts of energy transformation and the law of attraction, a presentation of the relationship between sound and brain by musician and president of the association One Song one Earth Olivier Covo, and lastly a chat on how virtual reality is applied to treating compulsive behaviour and the chance to try on the glasses at the gala by Katerina Schilter.
No Latin American event would be  complete without music and dance, and next up guests will be treated to a dance show featuring the four elements through “ancestral movements” and modern ballet, as well as music from Latin American Life accompanied by taxi dancers to really get the blood flowing.
The charity auction will incorporate “unique experiences and positive art”.
AMLA’s aim is to create a socio-cultural exchange between the Principality of Monaco and the countries of Latin America through cultural and social activities that contribute to the enrichment of the knowledge of the Latino roots in Monaco and collaborating at the same time with foundations and charitable associations in favour of Latin American countries.
For more information and tickets, visit the ALMA website at https://www.amlamonaco.com/
 

Roca team goes three for three

by: Stephanie Horsman
26/05/2021

AS Monaco Basketball finished up their whirlwind three game road trip with a tight-as-they-come 74 to 73 victory over JL Bourg at the Salle Ekinox in Bourg-en-Bresse Tuesday night.

It was right up to the wire in the face-off between AS Monaco and Bourg-en-Bresse, with a layup from Abdou Ndoye just 14 seconds from the end sealing the deal and giving Monaco three back-to-back wins on the road.

Coach Zvezdan Mitrovic was back in charge this match after being suspended from the last by the disciplinary committee after a kerfuffle in Le Mans that saw both coaches tossed out.

All four quarters saw the tug of war between the teams, with no one having a clear advantage, making for nail-biting excitement the whole way through.

The big scoring stars of the night were the newly recovered Mathias Lessort and Bourg’s Alen Omic, but it was a game where every player pulled their weight, and the competition was intense.

In the end, the last second basket by Ndoye saved the day for Monaco giving them the one-point edge and the win.

“Our first objective was to defend well against the second attack in the championship,” said Coach Zvezdan after the game. “We did a really good job in this area. It is really not easy to win in Bourg, we has always had difficult matches on this floor.”

ASM back Abdoulaye Ndoye praised the opponents and expressed delight at having even a small crowd of 800 fans in attendance.

“Bourg is a very good team which plays very well. There was a crowd, they were expecting us. By not giving up, we have shown that we are still hungry after the EuroCup title. The matches are linked, the coach spins, everyone brings their own stone to the edifice. This collective is what makes our strength.”

Monaco made 26 baskets out of 55 tries on the night, including six for 23 in three-point range. They had 33 rebounds and 15 assists, picked up 10 stray balls and stole the ball six times.

Lessort was high scorer for the team with 18 points and Rob Gray was next with 10.

The Roca team is finally heading home now, where they will take on the men from Le Mans on Thursday 27th May at 6pm in Salle Gaston Médecin.

 
 
 
Monaco Life with AS Monaco Basketball press release, photo by AS Monaco Basketball
 
 

Monaco targets French, EU travellers with new campaign

by: Cassandra Tanti
25/05/2021

‘Monaco for you, at last!’ is the catchphrase of a new Europe-wide tourism campaign aimed at drawing visitors back to the Principality after a year put on hold by Covid.
The world is slowly returning to normal, the desire to travel is no longer considered a taboo, and Monaco has strict health measures in place to protect the population and visitors.
Therefore, it’s time for the Monaco Tourism Board to help revive the local economy by drawing back visitors. It is doing this by sending a message that marks both the end of a long wait and the beginning of hope.
The words “at last!” (Enfin) has been added to the tourism campaign that was conceived before Covid struck the planet, to now read: “Monaco FOR YOU. At last!”
Through photographs and videos, the campaign focuses on 10 themes that embody Monaco’s tourism offer: wellbeing, gastronomy, culture, family, romance, sport, responsible tourism, games and casinos, weekend getaways, and shopping.
The summer campaign will target the French – primarily Paris and regional capitals – and European markets, and will be featured on television ads, in travel magazines and other professional media both print and digital, as well as social networks.
https://youtu.be/fEaHGtz3ahM
After travel restrictions are eased internationally, the campaign will go global and be broadcast on the American, Asian and Oceania continents from the second half of 2021.
Like all major destinations in the world, Monaco has suffered significantly from the loss of tourists since March 2020, the extent of which will be revealed on Friday when Jean-Luc Biamonti, CEO of Monaco’s largest employer Société des Bains de Mer, delivers the company’s annual financial report.
 
 
 

Nod to South Africa at this year's Television Festival

by: Cassandra Tanti
25/05/2021

South African drama Reyka will open the 60th Monte-Carlo Television Festival this June, while organisers have also revealed who will be judging this year’s top international series.
As the Monte-Carlo Television Festival approaches, the organisers are gradually revealing the details of this anniversary edition, including the World Premiere Opening Screening and the jury members who will meet in Monaco to decide the winners of the Golden Nymph Awards 2021.
The glamorous red carpet opening ceremony for the festival takes place on 18th June at the Grimaldi Forum Monaco. A glittering array of acting and creative talent from around the world and this year’s eminent jury members will join H.S.H. Prince Albert II, Honorary President of the Festival, who will officially declare the commencement of the five-day event.
The two juries, made up of leading exponents from the worlds of television drama and news, will be officially presented during the opening ceremony, before starting to screen together all of the nominated fiction and news content from across the globe.
Fiction Jury President is Swedish writer, director and producer Måns Mårlind (The Bridge, Midnight Sun, Shadowplay) who will preside over fellow award-winning jury members, French actor Arnaud Ducret (Parents mode d’emploi, Mensonges), German producer Moritz Polter (Das Boot, Freud), iconic French actor and singer, Joey Starr (Polisse, Mafiosa, Le Remplaçant), British screenwriter and Direcror Kay Mellor (The Syndicate, Band of Gold) and Norwegian producer Anders Tangen (Lilyhammer, Home for Christmas).
Meanwhile, President of the News Jury, independent filmmaker Evgeny Afineevsky (Winter On Fire: Ukraine’s Fight For Freedom, Cries From Syria) will be joined by the following jury members: Monegasque journalist Leila Ghandi, Italian producer Gisella Marengo, Editor of France Télévisions Hugo Plagnard and Spanish RTVE international & investigative TV reporter Pilar Requena.
The 60th Opening Ceremony of the Monte-Carlo Television Festival will conclude with the worldwide premiere of South African drama Reyka, a crime thriller starring Kim Engelbrecht (Dominion, The Flash), Iain Glen (Game of Thrones, Downton Abbey) and Thando Thabethe (How to Ruin Christmas: The Wedding). The series’ director is Zwelesizwe Ntuli (Hard to Get) and the producer Serena Cullen (Lady Chatterley’s Lover).

The story: haunted by her past, a flawed but brilliant criminal profiler returns to her hometown to solve a string of brutal murders committed by a serial killer amongst the sugarcane fields of Kwa-Zulu-Natal. Having been abducted as a child, Reyka is traumatised by the experience but this also helps her enter the minds of Africa’s most notorious criminals and turn them inside out. Being mixed race in a country where one is expected to choose, her refusal to pick a side gives her the ability to see what others cannot, but her gift has consequences for her and those she loves.
“We are very pleased to welcome such an eminent line-up of jury members who will screen all competing programmes in Monaco during the festival, with the very difficult task to select the ultimate winners, to be awarded on 22nd June during the Golden Nymph Awards Ceremony,” said Festival CEO Laurent Puons. “It is also my greatest pleasure to open this 60th anniversary with the series Reyka. Beginning the festival with a South African production has a very special touch, especially in light of the close ties that exist between South Africa and the Principality of Monaco. This dynamic drama looks set to be a global hit and we’re thrilled to be able to kick off our festival with this worldwide launch.”
Previous opening screenings and premieres at the Monte-Carlo Television Festival include, among others, Crossing Lines, Empire, Absentia, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan and L.A’s Finest.
 
 
 

Vaccine callout for 35 to 44 year olds

by: Stephanie Horsman
25/05/2021

Monaco is inviting residents aged 35 to 44 to roll up their sleeves for the Covid vaccine from this week, further expanding the number of people protected on the road to normality.

Starting Tuesday 25th May, letters will be sent out to eligible residents and citizens of the Principality aged 35 to 44 to receive their first dose of the inoculation against Covid-19. Those now entitled are being asked, once the letter has been received, to make an appointment via the website, www.covid19.mc or by calling 92 05 55 00. 

Availability of doses will dictate how quickly this new group will be able to obtain an appointment, though government authorities predict the first available appointments could be as soon as this weekend. The vaccine currently in use in the Principality is made by Pfizer BioNTech. Notably, it has been the only one administered in Monaco since the start of the crisis.

People have been quick to respond to the call to “get jabbed. In April, when the programme was opened to 45 to 55-year-olds, over 700 appointments were made in the first few hours alone.   

According to the government’s latest figures as of 18th May, 15,700 people had received at least one vaccine dose in the Principality, equivalent to 41% of the population. Meanwhile, the number of people to have received both shots numbered 12,975.

In an encouraging sign, the incidence rate also sits at its lowest level for months – 21, while only threepeople, all non-residents, are currently being treated at Princess Grace Hospital.