A French government spokesperson has said that a decision on a possible extension of the confinement measures would be announced "in the coming days". It follows the advice of the scientific council suggesting a confinement period of "at least six weeks" in total. The confinement began in France on March 17. The spokesperson said "We believe that the containment should last as long as it takes. We will announce in the coming days how we intend to implement the recommendations of the Scientific Council." In a speech this afternoon, French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said that France must prepare for "a long effort". He was speaking this afternoon after a meeting of the Council of Ministers. Some 25 ordinances were adopted by the Council at the meeting, which is the most since 1958. They include the extension of the winter break period until the end of May to help protect the most vulnerable.
The mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, has announced the setting up of a "drive-in" mask collection point for health professionals. The facility, which should be in place at the Palais des Expositions from Saturday morning at the latest, will enable health professionals and private providers who are exposed due to their activity, to pick up approved protective masks. Requests have to be made before collection and the service is not open to the general public. Mr. Estrosi said that between 50,000 and 60,000 masks will be available initially.
The organizers of the MIPIM property event, usually held in Cannes each March, have announced changes to the event. This year's MIPIM had been postponed until June but the organizers have announced that this year's event is being changed into a two-day gathering in Paris in September and a new online experience, MIPIM Connect, which will be available year-round. The next edition of MIPIM in Cannes is scheduled to take place from March 16-19 next year.
The municpiality of Lorgues in the Var has reported that 3 new people have tested positive for Covi-19.
A dozen health staff have tested positive for the coronavirus at the CHU in Nice. However, no severe cases have been recorded so far amongst health professionals at the hospital.
Several other municipalities across the Riviera have joined Nice and Monaco in carrying out the disenfection of streets. Street disinfection is about to begin, or has already started, in Menton, Cogolin, Saint-Laurent-du-Var, Antibes, Cannes, Vallauris, Le Cannet and Cagnes-sur-Mer.
The Monaco Minister of State, Serge Telle, has announced a bonus of 1,000 euros to be paid to all public service agents who are fully mobilized on the coronavirus crisis in the Principality.
The PACA region has released funds to help local students who are stranded abroad. The President of the PACA region, Renaud Muselier, announced that 500 euros per student was being made available to help their families to repatriate them.
A 17 year old has appeared in court today in connection with trying to evade a police control checking for completed confinement exit forms on a road in Cagnes-sur-Mer. It's alleged that he accelerated in his car endangering a police officer. The police opened fire but failed to stop him fleeing the scene. The prosecutor asked for pre-trial detention but the court released him this afternoon.
The Prefect of the Var has issued an order today prohibiting the reception of the public in food shops between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. The order is in operation from today until the end of the month. Deliveries aren't affected by the order.
A health union has written to the Regional Health Council suggesting the creation of "drive-in" testing centre to fight the outbreak. The idea, which is already being used in some other parts of France, is that motorists would drive into a centre and have a nasal swab performed at a distance without leaving their vehicle.
Church bells across France will be rung simultaneously at 7.30 this evening for ten minutes. The Conference of Bishops of France have also asked people to light candles in their windows when the bells ring. The president of the Conference said that it "will be a mark of communion of thought and prayer with the deceased, the sick and their loved ones, with all the caregivers and all those who make life in our country possible."
BUSINESS
President Donald Trump and the Senate have agreed a massive economic relief package worth more than $1.8 trillion. Negotiations ran into the early hours of this morning. The package includes money to bail out industries that have been affected by the coronavirus crisis. Republican Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell described it as a "wartime level of investment" in the economy.
In the UK, the CBI has released its latest survey of UK retailers. The organization said that "grocers reported exceptionally strong growth in sales volumes in the year to March, as did specialist food and drink firms. However, most other sectors reported sharp falls in sales volumes." it said that "orders are expected to fall across most sectors in the year to April (inc
