French and Riviera News Monday 18th October 2021

News

70-year-old killed on electric bicycle - Police have appealed for any witnesses to come forward after a 70-year-old man was knocked off his electric bicycle and died in Villeneuve Loubet on the Avenue des Plans on Sunday morning. The fatal accident occurred shortly after 9am when the victim hit a vehicle. The driver fled the scene. Police have asked for anyone with any information to contact them by calling 17. 

SMS alert system - An SMS alert system has been set up in Nice in the event of a major emergency in health the environment and security, such as flooding, fires, earthquakes and security attacks. Residents of the Nice Côte d’Azur region can now be warned by SMS in case of an emergency in the region. To begin with the system will only work in the Nice area with plans for it to be extended to other areas.

Anti-health pass demonstrations - Police in Nice have prevented protestors from gaining access to Avenue Jean Médecin. Anti-health pass demonstrators gathered on Saturday 16th October, hoping to march through the city centre. However, the area had been banned to demonstrators following a decree issued by the prefecture. 

Animal rights activists demonstrate in front of Burger King - Meanwhile members of the L214 association which defends animal rights, have demonstrated in front of the Burger King in Antibes, accusing it of being the "king of cruelty". On Sunday protestors called for the company to make a commitment to change its practices regarding the raising and slaughter of its chickens. The association plans further action on October 24th this time at the Burger King in Nice.

French police warn motorist of scam on France’s motorways - Police have warned motorist to watch out for what they have called an "Irish-style" scam on motorway rest areas in France, especially during the holiday period. The scam reportedly involves several English-speaking individuals, well dressed and pretending to be returning tourists who claim to have been victims of theft themselves and therefore need cash to get home. They give their future victims an address, a phone number and offer an immediate bank transfer. The proposal will obviously prove to be fraudulent and by the time the victims realize, it’s too late. The scam was discovered a week ago in the Yvonne region after police on the A6 motorway arrested two individuals who had stolen 600 euros from a couple at a motorway rest area. Police have called for motorists to remain vigilant.

Relocation of vaccination centre in Cannes - Cannes Town Hall has relocated the city’s vaccination centre from the Palais des Festivals to the Gare Maritime on the Esplanade de la Pantiero as from this morning Monday, 18 October. Appointment times are unchanged, and no appointments are being cancelled or unscheduled because of the change of venue. The town hall in Cannes has reminded people that a vaccination appointment can easily be made by completing the pre-registration form available on the municipal website www.cannes.com

Increase in cases of bronchiolitis - There has been an increase in the number of cases of bronchiolitis in the PACA region reaching a pre-epidemic phase. This year cases have been detected earlier compared to other years. In the Provence-Alpes-Côte d´Azur, the epidemic period of bronchiolitis in 2018-2019 lasted 11 weeks and in total, 1,705 children under one year of age were hospitalized, representing 37% of hospitalizations. Bronchiolitis is a childhood illness that particularly affects young children. Each winter, it affects around 500,000 children and infants. It is spread through saliva, hands, and coughing and is characterized by a strong cough, which can go as far as difficulty in breathing (rapid wheezing, runny nose).

Wearing a mask in schools in the Var will no longer be an obligation from today - The obligation to wear a mask in schools in the Var region is to be lifted. From today Monday, October 18th, a total of 79 departments whose incidence rate has remained below 50 for at least five consecutive days will no longer be required to wear a mask in school. The measure only concerns students, not their teachers.

Consequences of the health crisis on the most disadvantaged - As Sunday 17th October marked “World Poverty Refusal day” a report published has shown the consequences of the health crisis for the most disadvantaged in France. According to the Alerte PACA association, 24,000 jobs were lost in 2020 in the private sector and 15,000 in the public sector. The report goes on to show that at a national level, the number of beneficiaries of the income support the RSA, increased by 7.5% from December 2019 to January 2020, compared to 11.8% in PACA region.

People gather in Marseille to mark the commemoration of the massacre of October 17th, 1961 - 200 people have