Evening Update Thursday 25 November 2021

French Health Minister Olivier Veran has announced a range of new measures to deal with the rapidly rising numbers of Covid-19 cases. Speaking at a press conference this afternoon he began by saying that he was not going to announce any confinement, curfew, early closure of shops or restrictions on travel.

He announced that from this Saturday, a vaccine booster dose will be available to all those aged 18 and over from five months after their last injection.

Changes to the operation of the health pass were also announced. As from 15 January, a person's health pass will be deactivated if a booster dose has not been received within 7 months of their last injection. He said that a notification will be sent via the Tous Anti Covid app as the date for deactivation of the health pass approaches.

The health minister also announced that the period of validity of PCR and Antigen tests which give access to the health pass will be reduced from the current 72 hours to 24 hours as from next Monday. As regards the wearing of masks, he said that mask wearing will become mandatory in all enclosed public spaces, including those subject to the health pass, a measure which which is expected to be enacted by a decree made tomorrow. He added that Prefects would be able to make the decision on whether to make mask wearing compulsory at outdoor events.

Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer was also present at the press conference and announced that kindergarten and primary classes will not automatically be closed if there is one Covid-19 case in the class. He said that as from next week, if a student tests positive, all other students in the class will be tested and only those who test negative will be allowed to return to class.

Locally, the Cannes town hall has said that appointments for the third injection are being opened today for all Cannes residents aged 18 and over, and who have received their second dose within five months. More than 12,000 people over 65 in Cannes have already received their 3rd dose or have an appointment.

In other news, 300kg of cannabis resin has been seized by the French anti-narcotics office. Reports say that the seizure was made from a vehicle on the A7 motorway near Orange and three people have been taken into police custody.

Meteo France still have yellow warnings for storms and for heavy rain and flooding in the Var until 6am tomorrow, Friday. There's also a yellow flood warning for parts of the Gapeau river. More information on www.meteofrance.com

This Sunday November 28, the Principality of Monaco is hosting the first edition of BEKING Monaco, a day of sport, awareness and solidarity which will see the best cyclists and athletes from other disciplines compete on an unusual street circuit in the Principality. Many of the biggest names in cycling will be taking part. It's for the benefit of the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation and the Michele Scarponi Foundation. You can find out all about the day's events on the website https://www.bekingevents.com/en/

There are traffic and parking restrictions in Nice this weekend because of the Nice-Cannes marathon on Sunday. The Promenade des Anglais will be closed on Sunday morning and access won't be possible from adjoining roads between the Avenue des Grenouillères and the Boulevard Gambetta. There are also road closures in the west of the city near the airport. Various parking garages will be closed during Saturday night and Sunday morning. You can get more details on www.nice.fr There are also various road closures in Cannes and along the rest of the route. You can find a map of road closures on www.cannes.com

BUSINESS

Newly realeased figures from the UK Office for National Statistics show a continuing shortage of workers. 14% of businesses reported a shortage of workers in late November. In the accommodation and food service activities industry, more than a third of businesses reported a shortage of workers. The ONS also said that the total volume of online job adverts on 19 November was unchanged from the previous week at 44% above its pre-pandemic February 2020 average level. The highest level of job adverts relative to its February 2020 level continues to be in transport, logistics and warehouse staff.

Hospitality company Mitchells and Butlers has said that its trading environment remains challenging and cost headwinds continue to put pressure on the sector. The owner of brands including Harvester, Toby Carvery and All Bar One said that Brexit and supply shortages had affected the hospitality sector, as had staff shortages and rising costs. It said that locations in the suburbs were trading better than its city centre properties as homeworking continued.

Sweden's central bank, the Riksbank has kept interest rates at zero per cent. It said that economic activity is strong and inflation has risen rapidly, largely driven by rising energy prices, but it forecasts a fall in inflation next year. It said that its current forecast is that it will raise interest rates "in the latter part of 2024".

SPORT

Cricket... India scored 258-4 on the first day of the test against New Zealand. Shreyas Iyer hit an unbeaten 75. India are without Virat Kohli, who has been rested for the match.

Football...A fan-led review of governance in English football has published its recommendations, amongst which are the creation of a new Independent Regulator for English Football whose duties will include the oversight of financial regulation in football. The UK government has published the full list of recommendations and said that a full government response will be made in the spring of 2022.