Evening Update Tuesday 15 November 2022

French Minister of Ecological Transition, Christophe Bechu has said that it will be necessary to “get used to” restrictions on water consumption. Speaking to French media he said that measures could be put in place in December or January aimed at improving the water situation next summer. Over last summer more than three quarters of French departments were on water restrictions according to the minister. Several dozen departments, including the Var are still on various restrictions.

There's been an increase in the Covid-19 incidence rate in Monaco. In the week to last Sunday the incidence rate per 100,000 people was 230, up from 163 the previous week. 90 new positive cases were detected. As at last Sunday, 10 people, including 7 residents, were being treated at the Princess Grace Hospital. One non-resident person was being treated in intensive care. 41 people were followed by the Home Monitoring Centre.

New government figures have shown that in October nearly two pedestrians and more than one cyclist has died on the roads of France every day on average. Road fatalities in October were slightly lower than in October 2021, but much higher than in October 2019, the reference year before traffic levels changed during the pandemic. Florence Guillaume, inter-ministerial delegate for road safety, called on all road users to be extra vigilant now that the nights are drawing in, particularly vulnerable users traveling on foot or by bicycle.

There's been a slight fall in unemployment in France. In the third quarter, the number of unemployed fell by 17,000 compared to the previous quarte