Around 13% of all Covid tests conducted in the Principality are coming back positive, three times higher than the weekly average. Meanwhile, the incidence rate has again hit an all-time high of almost 2,000.
The government revealed in its daily communication on Monday that 9,482 residents and non-residents had taken a Covid test in the week to 9th January, and 12.53% were positive.
Given the rapid rise in daily cases recently, the incidence rate has unsurprisingly reached another historic high of 1,966.
Looking at the figures since the government began publishing them in March 2020, circulation really began to take off in the Principality around the end of November 2021 when the incidence rate jumped from around 200 to 453. It coincides with the same time the Omicron variant was first officially detected in Europe. Since then, the incidence rate has almost doubled every week.
In total, 6,087 residents of Monaco have now contracted the virus, 5,579 have fully recovered, and 42 people have died.
There are currently 32 Covid patients being cared for at the Princess Grace Hospital Centre, including 16 residents, plus an additional five people in ICU, one of whom is a resident of Monaco. The Home Monitoring Centre is following 330 Covid-positive residents with mild symptoms.
The legendary Café de Paris will be taking up temporary residence in the glamorous Salle Empire at the Hotel de Paris during an extensive one-year renovation of the original Monte-Carlo site.
The Café de Paris, which has been a staple of the Monaco landscape since 1868 under different guises, is about to undergo a major facelift and will be closed from March 2022 to April 2023.
But in order to keep the iconic institution up and running during this period, the owners of the café – Société des Bains de Mer (SBM) – have come up with a temporary solution to ensure the fabled brasserie carries on, though in a different setting.
According to a report in Monaco Matin, the Café de Paris is decamping across the square to the stunning Belle Epoque-styled Salle Empire at the Hôtel de Paris. The location was chosen for its beautiful terrace and views onto the Place du Casino, an inspired idea that will soothe fans of the Café de Paris and allow service to continue uninterrupted. Even the furniture will be moved to Salle Empire, as will all of the staff, says SBM.
The terrace of the Salle Empire at the Hôtel de Paris, source SBM
The Café de Paris started its history as the Café Divan in 1868 and was primarily for the use of hotel guests. After just a year, the restaurant’s success saw an expansion and a new name, the Grand Café de Monte-Carlo.
In 1882 and 1890, the site was renovated, but was soon changed again when, seven years later, it was demolished to make way for the Café de Paris that we know today.
Stefano Brancato, photo by Monaco Life
Whilst huge efforts are being made to ensure everything stays the same, one change will no doubt be felt. The long-time Director of the Café de Paris, Stefano Brancato, retired on 9th January after more than three decades at the helm.
Giving equal and always friendly service to celebrities, the Princely family and regular customers alike, Brancato decided it was time, at age 63, to start a new chapter of his life, though he intends to remain active.
The Cardio-Thoracic Centre of Monaco has a new super high-tech machine, the first in the world, which is capable of detecting specific cardiovascular pathologies in patients.
The new photon counting scanner was officially inaugurated by the Cardio-Thoracic Centre, in the presence of Prince Albert, on 16th December.
In a major win for the Principality, the scanner has the ability to directly transform x-ray photons into electrical signals to be counted without any loss of information.
“This improves sharpness and contrast,” said the Centre in a press release. “The images, obtained in an extremely short time, contain more relevant diagnostic information and greater precision. This new technology makes it possible to considerably increase the resolution of the images and to access the infinitely small.”
This kind of image accuracy has several advantages. It allows doctors to make more informed clinical decisions on treatment options as well as allowing patients to benefit from a non-invasive, highly accurate diagnosis.
Experts say that the side-effects felt by previous versions are all but eradicated, making it “possible to considerably reduce the dose of radiation and the quantity of contrast product injected, with the same diagnostic confidence. The examination is thus better tolerated by fragile patients.”
AS Monaco Women sealed their place in the next round of the Coupe de France, keeping alive their hopes of cup glory. Their already historic run now sees them advance to the round of 16.
Stunning late goals from Laura Domecq and Eva Towara sealed a 3-1 victory against Colomiers at a sunbaked Prince Hereditaire Jacques stadium on Sunday. In the draw for the next round, ASM Women, alongside Grand Calais, will be the joint lowest-ranked sides left in the competition.
ASM Women set the tone for the match early-on, dominating possession and territory. Two early chances fell to Domecq, but having found herself one-on-one on two occasions, she couldn’t convert either chance.
It was Colomiers in a rare foray in the Monaco half who opened the scoring. American defender Maddie Watson brought down a Colomiers player in the box, and Manon Rouzies converted the resulting penalty.
Colomiers began to sit deeper and deeper, happy to allow Monaco possession on the edge of their half, but the pressure eventually told. Domecq restored parity midway through the second-half and from that point the barrage on the Colomiers goal was unrelenting.
It wasn’t until late on that ASM Women made their dominance count. Towara’s sweetly struck strike nestled in the bottom left corner to send the 300 home supporters into raptures. The victory was sealed just moments later, Domecq doubling-up with a sumptuous long-range strike that was out of the reach of the Colomiers keeper and nestled in the top-left corner.
Queue wild celebrations in the home dressing room. Having already made history by making it into the round of 32 of the Coupe de France for the first time, Domecq told Monaco Life that she is already thinking about the next round. “We are going to have to raise our game, because it won’t be the same kind of match.”
Watson told Monaco Life that she hopes the team can go all the way in the competition. “We want to go as far as possible, let’s win it if we can!” On her preference for the opponent in the next round, she said, “They’re all going to be good at this point so there’s no preference. We just want to win and play our game, and it doesn’t matter who we play.”
ASM Women supporters will be waiting with anticipation to find out the team’s next opponent, with the fixture to be played on Sunday 30th January.
Taking charge of his first game since joining the club as manager, Philippe Clement’s AS Monaco were held to a goalless draw by Nantes in front of a reduced capacity crowd on Sunday.
New coronavirus restrictions in France meant that capacity at the Beaujoire stadium was capped at 5,000. Those who were in attendance witnessed a cagey match played in damp, windy conditions.
Given the multiple absentees and the recent Covid outbreak at AS Monaco, Clement could name a surprisingly strong side. Setting up in a 4-2-3-1, the only surprise was the utilisation of Caio Henrique, the marauding left-back, in the number 10 role.
Clement’s team began the encounter brightly. Quick and vertical in the transition, they posed Nantes early problems, and Sofiane Diop, who had only recently recovered from Covid, almost opened the scoring with a shot that was kept out by the legs of the keeper.
Diop was a live-wire throughout the first-half, and he curled another effort narrowly wide. But the positives were overshadowed by Monaco’s ever-deepening injury crisis. Djibril Sidibe and the recently returning Benoit Badiashile both limped off before the break.
The Monaco team that went into the dressing room following a high-energy first-half didn’t return for the second. Gone was the speed in the transition, the ultra-high press and the intensity, giving way to a more cautious, controlled approach.
Nantes gradually grew into the game, and carved out their best chances early-on after the break. Ludovic Blas couldn’t keep his shot down when only a matter of yards out, and Pedro Chirivella’s well-struck shot forced Aleksandr Nübel into a smart save low to his right.
The final and most gilt-edged chance was to fall to Monaco. Vanderson, making his debut as a substitute, cushioned the ball down for fellow substitute Myron Boadu. The Dutch striker, low on confidence, could only strike agonisingly wide when one-on-one within the box, leaving him head in hands on the sodden Beaujoire turf.
Adding insult to injury quite literally, Boadu was forced off just moments later with a muscular issue. As Monaco Life revealed over the weekend, the Dutch striker was a doubt for the game, as he didn’t participate in group training on Friday morning. Having already made five substitutions, Clement’s men were forced to see out the rest of the game with 10 men, which they did successfully.
Reflecting on the 0-0 draw, Clement perceived the injuries to his defenders as a critical turning point. “We started really well with huge determination and a good game rhythm,” said the Belgian coach. “After that the circumstances weren’t very favourable, with the premature departure of two injured defenders in the first-half. Naturally, the tempo dropped a bit after that.”
Despite an undeniably positive performance in the first-half, the deepening injury crisis at the club means that Monaco take as many negatives as they do positives away from Nantes. Clement will be hoping that some of his sidelined players will be back in contention for his first match at the Stade Louis II next Sunday against Clermont Foot.
Photo source: AS Monaco
Macron handed “key” to new 50,000m2 police station
French President Emmanuel Macron has come to Nice to officially set the ball in motion for an ambitious new police station, which will cost €200 million to complete and accommodate 2,000 municipal and national officers.
The site of the new compound will be in the city centre where the old Saint Roch hospital once lived and will be open for business at the end of 2025.
The French President’s visit to France’s fifth largest city saw him joined by Mayor Christian Estrosi, who has been fighting for the realisation of the new station for 12 years. He began lobbying for the station house in 2009. The government of François Hollande refused but in 2020, Prime Minister Jean Castex announced that significant state funding would be made available for the mammoth undertaking.
The police station will receive €172 million in government recovery plan funds, and the rest will include €10 million from the PACA region and €5 million from the Alpes-Maritimes department.
“This is the biggest real estate operation carried out by the State in the area of internal security for a long time,” said Mayor Estrosi.
The site will be unique in that it will encompass both national and local police forces working under one roof. There will be 1,200 national agents, who are currently installed at the Marechal Foch station, and 800 municipal officers, who are at present spread across 20 sites all over the city.
The 50,000m2 building will also be the home to the border police and will provide all branches with “better information sharing and greater coordination in matters of security”, according to Estrosi, who also wishes to “improve the working conditions” of the security forces.
A state-of-the-art “urban hypervision” centre will be included in the location and will be connected to video surveillance cameras and to the emergency call terminals of the city. It will encompass a crisis, observation and command centre, and the site will compile data on safety, manage major risks, deteriorating weather conditions, keep an eye on traffic and anti-noise radars and oversee pollution checks.
During his visit, the Head of State spoke with police officers, gendarmes, magistrates, representatives of civil society, associations, and the citizens of Nice on a variety of hot-topic issues, including delinquency, police presence, victim support, the issue of femicides, penal responses, and cybercrime. He also unveiled his plans for doubling the nation’s police force in the next 10 years.
