With just over two weeks left of confinement, plans are being put in place to slowly re-open the Cote d’Azur and the country as a whole. From the beginning of May, schools will reopen and travel beyond 10km from your home will no longer require an attestation. There is also talk of delaying curfew by one hour.
The Mayor of Nice Christian Estrosi is also putting forward plans to reopen approximately fifty restaurants in the city, to test procedures and measure the impact on the transmission of the virus. The Mayor also hopes pedestrianized areas will be able to extend terraces. Cap3000 have said they hope to fully reopen by mid-May.
In Monaco, some restrictions will lift from next Monday when restaurants will be allowed to reopen for dinner service, sports activities will resume in schools, and the evening curfew will be pushed back to 9pm in the principality.
All of this is due to falling Covid incidence numbers, which are now 205 cases per 100,000 population in the Alpes-Maritimes. This is well below the national average but the region has been in quarantine for longer. Vaccination numbers also continue to increase with 25.53% of the Alpes-Maritimes population already inoculated. Meanwhile tests carried out on the wastewater in Cannes, show the concentration of Covid is three times less than the wastewater in Nice.
The yachting industry has reacted angrily to new regulations regarding mooring zones for craft over 24 metres. Non-compliance could lead to a fine of €150,000 or one year in prison. Each summer around 1,700 boats over 24 meters drop anchor along the Cote d’Azur. The longer the boat, the heavier the anchor and the greater damage done to sea-bed fauna. However, yacht owners say their crews are trained in these ecological matters and it is smaller boats causing the damage. They say their job is to take people to bathe and to see beautiful places. If there are complications to their holidays they may no longer come.
A new prison at Le Muy has been confirmed by Prime Minister Jean Castex. The facility, which will hold 650 prisoners, will be constructed and in service by 2027. France is one of the five worst countries in Europe for prison over-crowding, alongside Turkey, Italy, Belgium and Cyprus. For every 100 places in the French system, there are 115 prisoners.
A 23 year-old man has died from stab wounds after a fight in Vitrolles in the Bouche-de-Rhones last night. Police investigating the brawl, which led to the death, are holding one man in custody.
The go-ahead has been given to traffic lights which let good drivers pass. The lights will turn green when vehicles approach at the correct speed and allow them to pass without stopping, while the lights will stay on red for those motorists travelling too fast, forcing them to wait.
BUSINESS NEWS
Credit Suisse is expected to report a significant loss tomorrow as it navigates the fallout from two high-profile crises. The Swiss lender announced earlier this month that it took a $4.7 billion hit from the meltdown of the American hedge fund Archegos Capital and now expects a pre-tax loss of almost one billion for the first quarter.
French cosmetics giant L’Oreal has said the Asian and Middle East markets will account for the majority of their new business in the coming decade. The region is home to 40% of the world’s population with a median age of 28, which L’Oreal say makes it a strategic and extremely exciting area for them.
SPORT NEWS
Football - The controversial European Super League looks set to collapse as AC Milan, Inter Milan, and Atletico Madrid have joined six UK Premier League clubs in withdrawing. Barcelona say they will also withdraw if season ticket holders do not approve the move. Super League founder and Juventus chairman Andrea Agnelli says that while the league can no longer go ahead he is convinced that the current status quo of European football needs to change.
Dublin Ireland could miss out on hosting Euro 2020 games this summer, after the Irish government said they do not expect to be able to meet UEFA's demand to fill stadiums at 25% capacity. The delayed tournament is due to be hosted in 12 cities across Europe from June, with UEFA set to make a decision on Dublin along with Munich and Bilbao this Friday.
Formula 1 - For the first time ever, this year’s Monaco Electric Grand Prix will use the full 3km track used by the main race. This is because the latest version of the electric cars, have LED lights on the HALO, which can light up as the cars pass through the Monaco tunnel. The E-Prix will be held in the Principality on May 8th.
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