French and Riviera News Monday 12th April 2021

News

Covid vaccinations for the over 55s from today - From today Monday 12th April, AstraZeneca and the Johnson and Johnson vaccination against Covid will be made available to all people in France over 55. France’s Health Minister Olivier Veran made the announcement on Sunday in the Journal du Dimanche. The minister added that the time between two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccine will be extended to 42 days instead of the current 28-day period. Also, from today Covid home testing kits will gradually be made available throughout the week in thousands of pharmacies across France.

Pressure in intensive care units - Meanwhile the pressure continues to increase in intensive care services. According to data released on Sunday 11th April, from Public Health France, 5,838 patients are now admitted to intensive care. In addition, 34,895 new cases of Covid were also recorded in the last 24 hours (that is 33,744 cases per day on average over the last seven days). On Sunday health authorities confirmed 296 new deaths from Covid. The death toll continues to rise, to more than 98,000. A figure that brings France closer to 100,000 deaths, a record already exceeded in Italy and the United Kingdom.

School holidays - Police checks have been stepped up on France’s roads as the two-week school holidays began on Saturday. France remains under lockdown with travel between regions forbidden, except for a compelling reason and with a 7pm curfew in place.

Diners arrested for violating Covid restrictions in the capital - French police have reported that more than 100 diners at a restaurant in Paris have been fined and the manager arrested for violating Covid restrictions. Officers were called to an address on Saturday following a noise complaint. It comes days after French police launched an investigation into alleged fine dining and parties in the city.

In other news

Certain domestic flights to be abolished - The French parliament has voted to abolish certain domestic air routes that can also be made by train in less than 2 and a half hours. The measure aims to remove flights between Paris and Nantes, Lyon and Bordeaux – although it allows exceptions for connecting routes. It comes as part of the climate bill currently under scrutiny by lawmakers. Once it becomes law, the measure will prevent rival airlines from operating along these routes. MPs from south-western France, where the Toulouse headquarters Airbus is located, have warned that the aeronautics industry would be unfairly hit.

Poll - According to a poll carried out by Ifop for the Jounral du Dimanche and Sud Radio French President Emmanuel Macron and French MPs Xavier Bertrand and Valérie Pécresse would win against Marine Le Pen head of the National Rally, in the second round of the 2022 presidential election. The survey was conducted using the quota method with a sample of 1,730 people registered on the electoral rolls, taken from a sample of 2003 people, representative of the French population aged 18 and over.

Man stabbed in Vallauris - A man has been stabbed in Vallauris. The incident occurred on Sunday afternoon just before 4pm on the Avenue de la Liberté. The exact facts concerning the incident, at this point, remain unclear. Emergency services intervened and the victim was taken to hospital in Antibes where his condition is reported to be stable.

HSH Prince Albert expresses sincere condolences following the death of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh - HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco has sent a letter to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The prince said he was very sorry to learn of the passing away of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. He expressed his most sincere condolences and deep sympathy and said that he and his family send their heartfelt thoughts and prayers.

“Pour le Panache” - Volunteers and members of the “Pour le Panache” association have celebrated while respecting current health restrictions, the landing of Napoleon on the Côte d’Azur in 1815. Enthusiasts reenacted the historical moment in Napoleonic period costume in Golfe-Juan at the weekend.

Business

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has urged the nation to "behave responsibly" when pub gardens reopen, and restaurants resume outdoor dining in England today. In the next major step in the easing of England's coronavirus lockdown, shops deemed non-essential will also reopen, as will hairdressers, indoor gyms, swimming pools, nail salons and zoos. However, social mixing indoors will remain heavily restricted, with around two in five adults yet to receive their first dose of a Covid-19vaccine and the vast majority yet to get both.

The world's biggest online retailer - China's Alibaba - has been hit with a record fine of just over £2bn. Regulators in China said the internet giant had abused its dominant market position for several years. In a statement the company said it accepted the ruling and would "ensure its compliance".

Analysts say the fine shows China intends to move against internet platforms that it thinks are too big.

Sport

Golf - Hideki Matsuyama has won the Masters by one stroke at Augusta National and become the first Japanese man to claim a major title. Matsuyama had a four-shot lead heading into the final day and, despite some nervy moments on Sunday, shot a one-over 73 to win on 10 under par.

Tennis - Cancelled due to the 2019 Covid pandemic last year, the 2021 edition of the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters kicked off at the weekend and will run until April 18th, the first big clay court event of the season, promises to be thrilling. The event is organized behind closed doors in order to maximize the safety of the players, but tennis fans are able to follow the matches in real time, on the tournament's official website www.rolexmontecarlomasters.mc as well as on its mobile application, social networks and television.

Football – In the Premier League this weekend on Saturday; Leeds beat Manchester City 2-1, Liverpool beat Aston Villa 2-1 and Chelsea sailed past Crystal Palace with a 4-1. Sunday saw Newcastle beat Burnley 2-1, West Ham beat Leicester 3-2, Manchester United beat Tottenham 3-1 and Arsenal beat Sheffield 3-0.

This evening West Brom play Southampton and Brighton face Everton.

Manchester City remain top of the table and Chelsea have moved up to 5th.

Weather

Showers with highs of 15 degrees along the coast in Nice, Cannes and Antibes, with a moderate breeze. This evening going down to 11 degrees. Inland in Vence and Grasse highs of 14 degrees and a high of 9 degrees in Berre les Alpes going down to 4 degrees this evening with clear skies.

In the Var in Saint Tropez and Hyeres, rain clearing this morning giving way to sunshine and highs of 17 degrees.

Outlook for Tuesday and Wednesday mainly fine tomorrow with highs of 17 degrees becoming increasingly cloudy on Wednesday.