French and Riviera News Friday 28th January 2022

News 

10% of inhabitants of the Alpes Maritimes have contracted covid since January 1st - According to figures published by Public Health France nearly 10% of the inhabitants of the Alpes-Maritimes have contracted covid since January 1st. While the peak of contamination is declining in some regions, this is not the case in the Provence Alpes Côte d'Azur region where the peak has still not yet been reached and where the virus continues to circulate at great pace. More than 116,000 people had tested positive for covid in the first three weeks of January in the Alpes Maritimes. In France, nearly 11 million covid tests were carried out last week, a slight decline observed since the start of the school year in January. The threshold of 130,000 deaths related to covid was crossed on Thursday January 27th, less than two years after the beginning of the epidemic, according to figures from Public Health France, which has still recorded nearly 400,000 new cases in 24 hours.

Monaco - In Monaco 156 new cases of covid were identified on Thursday January 27th bringing the total number of residents affected to 8,084. Seventy-eight people are currently in hospital and 416 are being followed by the Home Monitoring Centre.

Covid pill approved by the EMA - Meanwhile the European Medicines Agency (EMA) announced on Thursday that it has approved the anti-Covid pill from the manufacturer Pfizer, marketed under the name Paxlovid and which is to become the first oral antiviral treatment against the disease authorised in the European Union.

Teleworking no longer an obligation from February 2nd in France - From 2nd February in France, teleworking will no longer be an obligation and will become a "recommendation". Speaking to French media on Thursday morning Employment Minister Elisabeth Borne confirmed the easing of the restriction, previously announced by Prime Minister Jean Castex on January 20th during a press conference. Teleworking will remain a recommendation but will no longer be an obligation. It will be accompanied by the easing of other measures such as the wearing of masks, which will no longer be mandatory outdoors, and the limitations on the number of people in places open to the public.

Italy to ease restrictions - And Italy will ease anti-Covid restrictions for travellers from European Union countries from February. Proof of vaccination, recent recovery or negative test will be required, but there will no longer be the requirement to quarantine.

In other news

Education minister to meet with unions - France's Minister of National Education is to meet with trade union organisations today Friday 28th January, to address the issue of the baccalaureate which is scheduled from March 14th to 16th. Unions are requesting that the minister "makes a decision as soon as possible on a postponement due to the pandemic which has affected students and their attendance".

Dismantling of local drug trafficking point in Juan-les-Pins - Three men are to appear in court as part of an investigation for drug trafficking in the seaside resort of Juan-les-Pins. After searching the homes of the three individuals, police discovered three kilos of cannabis resin, 1.5 kilos of cannabis herb, 100 grams of cocaine and nearly 10,000 euros in cash. Police in charge of the investigation said the searches led to the dismantling of a local drug trafficking point.

Sexual assaults; suspect arrested - Police have identified and arrested an individual suspected of carrying out sexual assaults near the Law University of Nice. Identified through his DNA the suspect was arrested on Wednesday but has since left police custody and been admitted to a psychiatric hospital.

Woman wrongly accused in police investigation is still waiting for money seized from her home to be returned - A 51-year-old woman from Toulon who was wrongly suspected, as part of a police investigation, of carrying out a burglary is still waiting for her money to be returned. The woman saw her home searched and 80,000 euros seized by investigators. Exonerated from any wrongdoing the woman, who was able to attest the legal origin of the large sum of money, which was kept in a shoebox, has still not seen it returned.

Seasonal renters' express exasperation with city council rules - Those who rent seasonal accommodation in Nice have expressed their "exasperation" with new regulations from the city council declaring a "judicial war" with the town hall. The city has indeed increased the number of controls being carried out on furnished rentals for tourist accommodation, with more than 1,000 being carried out last year. The city has greatly tightened the rules applicable to the sector which has recently exploded in the region due to the appearance of platforms such as Airbnb.

Cameras used to stop illegal rubbish dumping - The town hall of Plan de la Tour in the Var ha