Lunchtime News Wednesday 31st March 2021

News

Emmanuel Macron to address the nation at 8pm this evening - The Elysee has confirmed that French President Emmanuel Macron will address the nation this evening at 8pm to take stock of the current health situation in France. Macron is meeting with the Health Defence Council this morning ahead of his speech this evening to consider possible scenarios in the fight against the spread of Covid.

Mayor of Paris calls for closure of schools - Meanwhile the mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo has this morning called for the closure of schools in Paris. Hidalgo declared that "about 20,000 pupils" are today "not in class either because they are sick or because the classes are closed". While the incidence rate among 15 to 19 year old stands at 850 per 100,000 in the Ile de France region.

Teachers file complaint against France’s Education minister - And a group of teachers have filed a complaint against France’s Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer for "endangering the lives of others". The complaint was received on Monday by the Court of Justice of the Republic, the only one empowered to investigate a minister in office.

PACA region - In the Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur region the rates of positivity for Covid-19 are still increasing sharply and the incidence rates are in the red.  According to the latest figures from the Regional Health Agency (ARS), as of March 28th, the incidence rate is 461 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. This is significantly more than the national average (376 per 100,000 inhabitants). The previous week, the PACA identified an incidence rate of 352.

The Bouches-du-Rhône shows the highest rate with 476 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. The department has just exceeded the incidence rate for the Alpes Maritimes (470). The British variant represents 85% of Covid-19 contaminations in the region and contaminations amongst 20-40 year olds are clearly increasing, as well as that of 40-60 year olds.

UFC-Que Choisir has taken France’s Postal Bank to court - The UFC-Que Choisir has taken France’s postal bank to court to stop "illegal practices". According to the association, the bank's customers who have a housing savings plan are "forced to open a paying current account under a penalty of closing their PEL”. The UFC-Que Choisir is summoning the Postal Bank before the Paris judicial court to stop "immediately" certain "illegal practices" of the bank.

Disruption to public transport this Friday - The public transport network of the Nice area will be seriously disrupted this Friday, April 2th, due to nationwide strike action. There will be no tram operating and many bus routes of the Lignes d’Azur network will be disrupted.