President Macron has confirmed that Covid-19 vaccinations will be open to all people aged 18 and over from 15 June. People aged 50-54 can be vaccinated from May 15. Health minister Olivier Veran has today reminded people that vaccination is open from tomorrow for people aged 18 and over with certain co-morbidities, in particular obesity. The minister added this morning that 545,000 vaccinations were carried out in France in 24 hours, or 6 people protected every second.
Locally, vaccination has been opened to people aged over 18 without comorbidities in Mandelieu-La-Napoule. Mayor Sebastien Leroy said that people over 18, from Mandelieu-La-Napoule and the lower Siagne valley will be able to get vaccinated. Registrations are possible by calling 04 22 19 13 07 or by registering at the vaccination centre. The mayor said that the allocation of appointments depends entirely on the availability of vaccine doses and the pace of deliveries by the state.
The Health Minister said this morning that a third patient positive for the Indian variant was diagnosed upon arrival in France, which has been confirmed by sequencing. He is currently isolated in a hotel by decision of the local prefect and contact tracing has been put in place. Two of the three people so far detected with the variant in France are from the Bouches-du-Rhone and the third is from the Lot-et-Garonne. All three have recently been to India.
The National Institute for Health and Medical Research has said that a concert is planned in Marseille next month to test transmission of the coronavirus. Concert goers, who will all be students from Aix Marseille University, will not be tested before entry but will be seated "with spatial distancing" and a health protocol will be in force. The aim of the experiment is "to be as close as possible to real life" and aims to establish if preventive measures put in place during a concert make it possible "to have a risk of contamination identical to the one to which the population is exposed in daily life". If government authorisations are received, the planned date for the first test concert is May 29 depending on the evolution of the health situation.
Christian Estrosi has visited a vaccination call centre based in the former Senate in Nice. The centre was opened on December 15 and is part of the call center network dedicated to Covid-19 which opened in March 2020. Some 255,000 calls have been processed and 17,409 registrations for vaccination have been made made by 240 telephone operators.
French Prime Minister Jean Castex has attended a ceremony in tribute to the police officer killed in a terrorist attack on the outskirts of Paris last Friday. Amongst local ceremonies, Nice mayor Christian Estrosi attended a tribute at the Auvare barracks and the Prefect of the Var was present alongside the staff of the National Police as they held a tribute in the department. The staff of the prefectures and sub-prefectures of the Var also paid tribute.
Monaco has four new new accredited Ambassadors to the Principality. Diplomats from Jordan, Argentina, Benin and Nepal presented their Letters of Credence to HSH Prince Albert II at a ceremony yesterday morning.
The Sophia Antipolis Urban Community has published a series of maps showing exposure to excessive noise pollution. An Environmental Noise Prevention Plan has been drawn up. You can find more information about the noise pollution maps on the website https://www.antibes-juanlespins.com
BUSINESS
The eurozone entered recession in the first quarter of this year according to EU statistics agency Eurostat, which released a wide range of economic data today. GDP in the Eurozone fell by 0.6% in the first quarter of this year, which followed a 0.7% contraction in the last quarter of 2020. A recession is usually defined as two consecutive quarters of negative growth. However, the French economy was one of only two economies in the European Union which grew in the first quarter year on year, expanding by 1.5%. The other was Lithuania.
Euro area annual inflation is expected to be 1.6% in April, up from 1.3% in March according to an estimate from Eurostat. The increase was largely driven by energy costs, which are expected to rise by 10.3%.
Eurostat also said that the euro area seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate in March was 8.1%, down from 8.2% in February but up from 7.1% in March last year.
The European Union has charged Apple with breaching EU competition law. The move by the EU relates to allegations made two years ago by music streaming service Spotify. The case is looking at how Apple's App Store policies affect music streaming. The company has previously denied any wrong-doing.
SPORT
Motorsports...It's the Portugese Grand Prix this weekend and Valtteri Bottas was fastest in first practice this morning followed by Max Verstappen. Sergio Perez was in third, followed by Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. In second practice this afternoon Lewis Hamilton was first, followed by Max Verstappen, Valtteri Bottas and Carlos Sainz.
Cricket... It's been the second day of the Sri Lanka against Bangladesh Test match in Kandy. At the close of play today Sri Lanka were 469 for 6 with Bangladesh yet to bat.
Rugby Union.... The semi finals of the European Champions Cup are being played this weekend. Tomorrow, it’s the all French clash between Toulouse and Bordeaux and on Sunday La Rochelle play Leinster.
Football...In the English Premier League this weekend, Southampton play Leicester tonight. On Saturday Crystal Palace play Manchester City. Brighton face Leeds. Chelsea play Fulham and Everton play Aston Villa. On Sunday Newcastle play Arsenal. Manchester United take on Liverpool and Spurs play Sheffield United. West Brom play Wolves and Burnley host West Ham on Monday.
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