Lunchtime News Monday 25th May 2020

Missing person - Police in Fayence have appealed following the disappearance of a teenager. 16-year-old Maene left her home in the evening of Tuesday 12th May and has not been seen since. Of slim build, with straight dark brown hair, she was at the time dressed in a grey hooded jacket, blue jeans, and black trainers.

Investigators believe that she may have run away from home for a second time. Anyone likely to have any information to assist the police in their investigation is asked to contact 04 94 39 16 40.

Real Estate - The National Real Estate Federation in the Var has said that despite fears of a drop in business due to the lockdown and the current health crisis. Requests for property in the region have been pouring in along with visits.

During the confinement, thanks to the electronic signature, many agencies were able to continue signing contracts already in place.  

Since the easing of lockdown on May 11th there’s been "an influx of requests", in the real estate sector, including long term rentals.

Former President of the Republic acknowledges his share of responsibility - Former French President François Hollande has acknowledged his "share of responsibility in the situation in French hospitals ", with in particular a lack of the "renewal" of masks, while criticizing the lack of regular stock checks since 2017 .

Speaking on France Inter Hollande said “I too have my responsibility during the coronavirus crisis, for years hospitals have been under pressure and I played my part in that”.

The former socialist president detailed the situation of the hospitals by saying: "We put too much administration in place with too much time taken up by filling in papers, rather than treating patients.

French health workers and caregivers publish open letter to President Emmanuel Macron - Meanwhile, in an open letter to French President Emmanuel Macron French health workers and caregivers have said that "The President’s words are no longer enough" adding that Macron needs to show them that they can count on him”.

The letter comes as the government launches "Ségur de la Santé" which plans to bring together union and collective caregivers today in a videoconference. The meeting aims to improve the working conditions of caregivers, their pay and the care of patients.

France’s minister of economy in favour of postponing summer sales - France’s minister of the economy Bruno Le Maire, has said that he is in favour of the summer sales being postponed.

The summer sales in France were due to start on June 24th but will no doubt be postponed. Speaking to French media this morning Le Maire added that following meetings with many businesses and taking into account their loss of revenue, postponing the sales seems like the most logical solution.

Public Health France’s announces positive situation - Public health France has announced that current indicators show a favourable situation of the coronavirus epidemic in France.

Director general of Public Health France, Geneviève Chène, said that "the virus is still here but that, its circulation remains weak. During the easing of lockdown respecting barrier gestures and social distancing has no doubt helped”.  Concluding, "we remain cautious, as there are many aspects of the coronavirus which remain unknown.

UK borders - New measures at the UK border against a second wave of coronavirus infections have been announced by the Home Secretary. They include 14 days self-isolation for anyone entering the UK, bar a short list of exemptions.

The measures outlined by the Home Secretary include:
· Contact locator form – All arriving passengers will be required to fill this in to provide contact and travel information so they can be contacted if they, or someone they may have been in contact with, develops coronavirus.
· Self-isolation - Passengers arriving in the UK will be required to self-isolate for 14 days and could be contacted regularly throughout this period to ensure compliance.
· Enforcement - Anyone failing to comply with the mandatory conditions may face enforcement action. A breach of self-isolation would be punishable with a £1,000 fixed penalty notice in England or potential prosecution and unlimited fine. The level of fine could increase if the risk of infection from abroad increases.
· Spot checks - Border Force will undertake checks at the border and may refuse entry to any non-British citizen who refuses to comply with these regulations and isn’t resident in the UK. Failure to complete the form is also punishable by a £100 fixed penalty notice. Public health authorities will conduct random checks in England to ensure compliance with self-isolation requirements.

The arrangements are due to come into effect on 8 June.

The new regime will be in place across the United Kingdom. Through the new online locator contact form all arriving passengers will need to provide details of their self-isolation accommodation.

There will be limited exemptions and a full list will be published on gov.uk. They include:
· road haulage and freight workers.
· medical professionals.
· Anyone moving from within the Common Travel Area, covering Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man;
· Seasonal Agricultural Workers who will self-isolate on the property where they are working.

Quarantine measures in France - Following the announcement from the UKs Home Secretary on new quarantine measures from 8th June due to the coronavirus crisis. The French government has announced that people arriving in France from the UK will have to self-isolate for 14 days from June 8th, France said it would impose reciprocal measures for any European country enforcing a quarantine.

Football – According to a British study published on Sunday the Champions League 8th final second leg between Liverpool and Atlético Madrid, played in front of 52,000 people on March 11th in the UK despite the threat of coronavirus, "could be linked to the death of 41 people".

The deaths were said to have occurred in hospitals near Liverpool between 25 and 35 days later, said the study, based on data from health authorities in the United Kingdom and cited by the weekly Sunday Times.

Around 3,000 Madrid supporters had made the trip to Liverpool to attend the match, the last to be played before the stopping of sports competitions in the UK. According to Imperial College London and the University of Oxford, Spain had around 640,000 cases of coronavirus at the time, compared to 100,000 in the United Kingdom.

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