Lunchtime News Thursday 3rd September 2020

Local 

Road accident - Several people have been injured in a road accident in Avignon. The head on collision between two cars occurred in the middle of the night on the Charles de Gaulle bypass. Three people were taken to A&E and two others suffered slight injuries.

Traffic on the ring road was cut off for two hours while emergency services intervened. Police have opened an investigation into the cause.

Masks - The prefect of the Alpes Maritimes has confirmed that following the decision to make wearing a mask compulsory throughout Nice due to Covid-19 the obligation will apply to joggers but not for cyclists, electric scooters, skateboarding or rollerblading, when using the city’s cycling paths.

With regards to motorists, wearing a mask is not compulsory if you are alone or with one or more members of your household.  Since August 27th, the Provence Alpes Côte d'Azur region has been classified as a "red zone" due to the high circulation of Covid-19 in the region.

Port Vauban project - The Chamber of Commerce and Industry has presented its plan for Port Vauban in Antibes to become the “port of the third millennium”. The presentation on Wednesday showed an ambitious project to turn the space into a technopole.

The project initiated by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry is estimated at 135 million euros.

National 

Covid – 19 - French health authorities have reported 7,017 new confirmed coronavirus cases on Wednesday, which is up sharply up from Tuesday's 4,982 figure. According to France Public Health the number of patients hospitalised and being admitted to intensive care is also on the rise.

The number of people hospitalized for Covid-19, while still well below its April 14 peak of 32,292, has gone up by 28 on Wednesday, totalling 4,632. Authorities also recorded a rise on the number of patients in intensive care: 22 new patients, reaching a total of 446 people, far below the April 8 record of 7,148 but rising for the sixth consecutive day.