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Month: December 2021

France announces new restrictions to slow Omicron spread

by: Stephanie Horsman
28/12/2021

France has ordered its citizens to return to working from home as much as possible from Monday in an effort to curb the spread of the Omicron variant of the Covid virus, however schools will remain open.
Depending on perspective, the New Year will be bringing good or bad news for workers in France, as Prime Minister Jean Castex announced on Monday evening that there will be a return to telecommuting where possible from 3rd January.
The Prime Minister said that “from the beginning of the school year, the use of teleworking will be mandatory in all companies and for all employees for as many days as possible, a minimum of three days and if possible four days a week.”
A recent survey by Harris Interactive indicates that 60% of employees can work from home with ease.
For those who must return to the workplace, the usual list of measures apply including social distancing, hand washing and face mask wearing.
Castex also announced that for the next three weeks there will be limits of 2,000 people for indoor venues and 5,000 people for outdoor events. Reserved seating is required. Eating or drinking at cinemas, sporting events and on public transportation has also been banned for this period. Additionally, nightclubs will also be closed.
The government insists that schools will not be affected during this period and that children are able to return to classes as scheduled on 3rd January. Monaco has joined the French in saying that schools will not close in the Principality.
Meanwhile, the government has not imposed any major restrictions on New Year’s Eve festivities, though they are asking that big parties and dinners “be limited”.
The new measures come as officials have warned that hospitals in France again risk being overwhelmed after a record 100,000 cases were reported Saturday, the highest daily level in France since the pandemic began nearly two years ago.
 
 
 
 
 

"Enjoy NYE, but be responsible"

by: Cassandra Tanti
28/12/2021

Restaurants and bars will remain open on New Year’s Eve and tourists will be welcome as the government announces it won’t impose any tough restrictions on celebrations this year. 

The government announced on Monday that it is putting in place new measures for the 31st December in response to the growing number of Covid cases and a “gradually deteriorating” hospital situation.

But with 66.7% of the eligible population fully vaccinated, including 93% of those aged over 75, the measures fall far short of anything imposed by the government this time last year.

There will be no curfew imposed on New Year’s Eve, and restaurants and bars will be allowed to remain open. However, consuming alcohol while standing, as well as dancing and singing karaoke, are all banned in Monaco’s establishments. Musical entertainment must cease by 1am, and public celebrations will not go ahead at the Place du Casino or Port Hercule.

More than 10 people will not be allowed to gather outdoors in public or consume alcohol in public during end of year celebrations. There will also be no sale of alcohol after 8pm.

“In addition, we will have to be reasonable and continue to apply barrier gestures,” said the government.

The announcement will come as a relief to local businesses, which were last year forced to adhere to a strict 10.30pm curfew on New Year’s Eve, while Monaco’s borders were closed to all foreigners except those with a hotel reservation.

As it has aimed to do throughout this entire year, the government said on Monday that its measures are designed to “limit the spread of the virus while maintaining the economic and social activity of the Principality”.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Didier Gamerdinger revealed that the incidence rate has now reached a record 938 in Monaco and that an estimated 20% of Covid cases are the Omicron variant.

SEE ALSO:

CSM to analyse for Covid variants

Monaco hits record daily cases

Photo by jennieramida on Unsplash

The Tchouaméni rumour mill keeps on turning

by: Luke Entwistle
28/12/2021

The January transfer window is fast-approaching and one player who has long been rumoured to be heading for the exit door is Aurélien Tchouaméni, with European giants keen to prise the French international away from Monaco.
The Girondins de Bordeaux academy graduate was already much coveted in the summer window. It was widely rumoured that Champions League winners Chelsea had registered an interest and were prepared to pay up to €50 million to secure his services.
His dogged work in winning the ball back, and his ability to instigate attacks with incisive progressive passes, have only enhanced his reputation and have earned him a regular spot in Didier Deschamps’ France side.
He now looks set to be the latest export from a Monaco side that has a global reputation for developing, and exporting, world class talent. Real Madrid, Juventus and Manchester United have all been touted as potential destinations by a wide range of media outlets, but Chelsea have recently emerged as the frontrunner for his signature.
The London side are keen to bolster their midfield options and are not lacking the resources to do so. Tchouaméni is seen as a potential long-term successor to N’golo Kante, and a recent injury to the Chelsea midfielder could accelerate plans to wrap up the transfer.
It still remains to be seen whether Monaco’s sporting director Paul Mitchell would sanction the French midfielder’s departure next month, but one thing is for sure – he won’t be sold on the cheap. The Englishman told Tuttosport, “Everything is expensive in Monte Carlo, let’s say that Tchouaméni is as expensive as the grand Casino.”
Despite Mitchell’s defiance, the fact remains that the French midfielder’s departure is a matter of when, not if. Asked by Monaco Life about the chances of keeping Tchouaméni in the long-term, Monaco manager NIco Kovac said, “He will have a good career. I think, in the end, we must be honest. We will try everything to keep him here, but I also know that one day he will leave the club.”
However, Kovac isn’t willing to let go of his star midfielder just yet. “I don’t know when (he will leave). I would like to have him here as long as possible, but he deserves it, and he has the qualities and the possibilities to play in the big leagues around Europe.”
It is yet to be seen whether Chelsea, or another European giant, will challenge Monaco’s resolve in January, but the Principality side will ultimately have to plan for a future without Tchouaméni.
 
 
Photo source: AS Monaco
 
 
 

2022 reopening of Jardin Exotique in doubt

by: Stephanie Horsman
27/12/2021

The Jardin Exotique has been closed since the spring of 2020 for repairs. Now, there are concerns that the scheduled opening date in 2022 will be delayed due to a lack of funding.

Monaco’s Jardin Exotique has been a drawcard for both tourists and locals since it’s opening in 1933. With a unique collection of succulent plants from South America and Africa, it is a veritable oasis of flora rarely found outside their natural habitat.

The gardens were closed during the spring 2020 lockdown as the site was in need of urgent repairs. False rocks and footbridges, which had been original features constructed between 1913 and 1933, had begun to feel their age and were in desperate need of renovation. The situation was so dire that the government stepped in with emergency funds by year’s end to assist.

A team of 11 gardeners have maintained the site in anticipation of the time when the gardens can welcome visitors again. The original idea was in 2022, but that date is now in jeopardy, according to municipal officials.

Speaking to Monaco Matin, the officials allege that there has been no money allocated for them in the 2022 budget for further works.

The Jardin Exotique, voted in 2021 to be amongst the world’s most beautiful gardens by the prestigious Ulysses guide, is now in jeopardy of not being able to reopen as planned in June 2022 to coincide with the 100-year anniversary of the death of Prince Albert I.

At a recent municipal council meeting, Monaco Mayor Georges Marsan said: “To date, the phase of demolition of false rocks is completed. However, we unfortunately learned at the end of the year that the Princely government would not have entered any sum in its 2022 budget, even on the line corresponding to studies.” The mayor said he has written to Minister of State Pierre Dartout but is yet to receive a response.

“To date, we have no companies selected for further work,” André Campana, deputy delegate to the Exotic Garden, told Monaco Matin. “This non-registration has the consequence of not coinciding the end of the work on the parking lot entrance to the city scheduled for 2023 with the opening of the garden. There is a lack of will from the government. We are talking about a national heritage.” 

The project’s architect François Lallemand went on to add that, “If no budget is allocated in 2022, it will be done in 2023. So, no work before 2024. It would be dramatic for the garden but also the quality of life of this district, long devastated.”

There are still significant works that need to be completed before reopening can occur. The Department of Public Works secured a tumble-down cliff in 2020, while the Mairie secured false rocks and footbridges in the second half of the same year.

Since then, there has been no movement, though much is required. More false rocks must be rebuilt, pergolas need to be redone, old walkways taken up and rebuilt, and gazebos rehabilitated. Then the mammoth task of re-landscaping the site must occur.

“Without the reconstruction of the footbridges, no passage is possible in the garden, so no opening of the site, even partial, is possible,” argues the Mairie.

The bottom line is that, as of now, the date for reopening this historic site hangs in balance.

 
 
Photo source: Mairie de Monaco
 
 
 

Monaco Red Cross continues aid to Lebanon

by: Stephanie Horsman
27/12/2021

People still affected by the massive explosions that shook Beirut last year are being given renewed assistance by the Monaco Red Cross after an international Red Cross appeal.

On 4th August 2020, the Port of Beirut in Lebanon was rocked by two explosions when a large quantity of ammonium nitrate being stored at the port detonated. The blast caused 218 deaths, more than 7,000 injuries, and €13.26 billion in property damage, resulting in an estimated 300,000 people being left homeless.

The timing could not have been worse as the world was in the early grips of the Covid pandemic and resources were scarce. Lebanon’s government declared a state of emergency as people desperately tried to find food and suitable, albeit temporary, lodgings.

The Monaco Red Cross released funds at the time to support the victims and were able to lift some of the burden from the struggling populace.

Over a year later, on 18th November 2021, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies put out an urgent call for additional support as the situation in the area is still precarious. The Monaco Red Cross responded quickly with a donation of €25,000 of their own funds.

The target of this request is assistance for 625,000 people, as well as support for the Lebanese Red Cross’s 2022-2024 strategic plan, which will focus on specific areas such as health and care, protection and prevention and the integration of assistance.

For those interested in helping the effort, the Red Cross of Monaco is accepting donations on their website at www.croix-rouge.mc/faire-un-don or by visiting their offices at 27 Boulevard de Suisse.

All funds raised will go toward the projects underway in Lebanon.

 

 
 

CSM to analyse for Covid variants

by: Cassandra Tanti
27/12/2021

The Scientific Centre of Monaco will soon be equipped with the technology to detect new Covid variants, including the fast-spreading Omicron variant, allowing the Principality to better understand the local health situation and contribute to international research. 
The Centre Scientifique de Monaco (CSM) has been screening nose and blood samples for Covid-19 since May 2020, and on 16th December passed the symbolic milestone of analysing 100,000 PCR tests. It is responsible for determining the outcome of around 500 Covid tests each day, as well as over a hundred blood samples to detect the presence of antibodies.
Now, the CSM is set to equip itself with new sequencing apparatus that will allow for the genetic analysis of virus samples, something that is only currently possible in Marseille.
“This tool will give us independence and therefore allow us to respond quickly to the exact identification of new variants,” says Dr. Christian Lavagna, in charge of screening at the CSM. “We will also be able to follow the mutations of the different strains and contribute to the international monitoring set up since the start of the pandemic.
“Systematic verification of the genome also makes it possible to decode the resistance profile of the virus, an essential means for the development of effective vaccines. In these circumstances, it will no longer benecessary to acquire screening kits, such as those we are currently using, which only detect the presence of known variants.”
Like last year, the CSM has increased its screening activity during the holiday period to cope with the “fifth wave” and the high number of PCR and antibody tests being conducted throughout the Principality.
“This year, determining the level of protection by the analysis of neutralising antibodies has been added to the nasopharyngeal examination and the large number of positive samples, linked to the strong contagiousness of the Omicron variant, have led us to set up an activity seven days a week to offer even more flexibility and support for the Monegasque population,” says Dr. Lavagna.
 
 
Photo source: CSM