French government spokesperson Gabriel Attal has confirmed that the extended health pass will come into force from Monday 9 August. However, he said that the first week will be a "break-in" week which "won't be used to sanction" but to help those implementing the health pass. Speaking during a visit to Avignon today, he added that hospitals are seeing a fourth wave of patients beginning to be admitted but that it was not inevitable that the fourth wave would "submerge and sweep over our hospitals" as had been seen in previous waves. As regards the number of coronavirus cases, he said that "a type of plateau" had been seen at a national level in the past few days, but it is a high level plateau and the virus continues to circulate strongly.
After yesterday's Constitutional Council decision, a health pass will be required to access restaurants, bars and cafes, long distance transport, hospitals in certain circumstances and also certain shopping centres if mandated by local prefects. The measures may also apply to certain weddings and fairs. The health pass requirement will continue to apply to places of culture and leasure admitting at least 50 people, as has been the case since 21 July.
The SNCF has said that the health pass will be compulsory for long distance trains as from this coming Monday, 9 August and controls will be "massive". Those in breach of the rules face a fine of 135 euros. The measures will apply to TGV INOUI, OUIGO, INTERCITES and international TGVs departing from France. TER, Transilien and Eurostar trains are not affected. More details on travel by Eurostar can be found on their website. The pass must be presented in paper or digital format from the Tousanticovid application. All passengers over 12 years old using one of the trains concerned will be subject to the health pass requirement. For travelers aged 12 to 17 inclusive, the obligation will only apply from September 30. SNCF have said that for trains requiring a health pass, boarding will probably be slightly slowed down in order to carry out checks, so it is advisable to anticipate this when arriving at the station. They have also reiterated that wearing a mask is obligatory on entering railway stations, on platforms and on board all SNCF trains.
In Monaco, the government has submitted a bill to the National Council which would require the compulsory vaccination of a wide range of caregivers. The government said that 66% of staff in health establishments have received a first dose of a vaccine against Covid-19 and it is imperative to further increase their vaccination coverage to protect not only themselves, but also the vulnerable or fragile people in their care. The bill will be studied by the assembly on September 14.
The Alpes-Maritimes Prefecture has said that as of August 2, just over 1.24 million vaccine injections in total had been performed in the Alpes-Maritimes. 538,129 people have received their second injection and are considered vaccinated.
New entry requirements have been announced for travellers from our region entering Germany. The German government has classed the Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur region as "high risk" meaning that as from this Sunday, 8 August, anyone entering Germany from the region who doesn't have a health pass showing that they are fully vaccinated or have recovered from Covid-19 will have to quarantine for 10 days. It's possible to reduce the period to five days by having a negative test. Other regions afftcted by the German government's requirements are Occitanie, Corsica and various French overseas territories.
Firefighters in the Var responded to a blaze in undergrowth in the vicinity of the recycling centre in Cogolin yesterday evening. The combined intervention of land and air vehicles made it possible to bring the fire under control quickly. Firefighters said that 3000 m2 of vegetation and rubbish was destroyed, but many hectares were preserved.
BUSINESS
German manufacturing output fell by 1.3% in June according to new data from the government statistics office. Economists had expected it to increase by 0.5%.
The board of UK supermarket chain Morrisons has recommended a revised takeover offer from a private equity consortium. The new offer, worth £6.7bn, still needs to be approved by Morrisons shareholders.
UK supermarket operator Asda has announced that CEO and President Roger Burnley has stepped down from the business following completion of a transition period under new ownership. The new owners thanked Mr. Burnley for his contribution and said that a process to recruit his replacement is ongoing.
SPORT
Olympics....Kate French won Great Britain's 18th gold medal in Tokyo in the modern pentathlon.
The USA have beaten Australia to claim gold in the women's beach volleyball.
In cycling, Great Britain's Laura Kenny and Katie Archibald claimed Madison gold. The win means that Kenny has become the first British woman to win gold at three Olympic Games.
Great Britain's Jack Carlin won bronze in the men's sprint cycling.
Great Britain's women hockey team have won bronze after a 4-3 victory over India.
Britain's sprint relay teams won silver and bronze medals and Laura Muir won silver in the 1500m.
Tennis....Roger Federer has withdrawn from both the Toronto and Cincinnati Masters because of a knee injury. The Toronto Masters starts this coming Monday and the Cincinnati Masters is a week later. At the moment, it's not known if Federer will compete in the US Open which starts on 30 August.
French president Emmanuel Macron has called for stronger, more integrated European defences as he outlined his vision for a more assertive European Un...
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The Côte d'Azur is on alert for a surge in imported cases of dengue fever. Since the beginning of 2024, a record 1,679 imported cases have been record...
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The post-mortem will take place next Monday for a 33-year-old man whose body was recently found in the Var after being missing for more than a month....
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French scientists have been developing technological tools for the past four years to help athletes optimize their training for the Paris 2024 Olympic...
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Nice airport says as many as 60% of flights will be cancelled tomorrow due to a nationwide strike by air traffic controllers....
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