French and Riviera News Monday 25th January 2021

News 

Head of the scientific council says the decision on the health situation is now purely a political one - The head of the scientific council Jean-Francois Delfraissy has said that further measures must be taken in France against the coronavirus. Delfraissy has suggested that France “looks at what is happening in neighouring countries, such as the UK and Ireland as he says that in the “face of new variants a new lockdown is likely to be the only solution” adding that a “decision now is purely a political one”.

Delfraissy acknowledges that the current figures in France “are not alarming” but warns that “if France does not tighten restrictions if will find itself in a difficult situation by mid-March”. Delfraissy suggests adopting “longer school holidays by a week or by grouping them together” and he does not share the optimism of France’s Health Minister, who aims to have the entire population vaccinated by the end of August, saying that “the reality is that there is a shortage of vaccines in Europe” and he predicts that only “40% of the population will be vaccinated by the end of the summer” concluding that it will “take a long time”.

Covid figures in France - The latest figures in France show that more than 18,000 new cases of Covid were reported on Sunday with a slight increase of the number of people admitted to intensive care, with 69 new admissions on Sunday bringing the total to 2,965.

172 new deaths were declared on Sunday. In total 73,079 people have died in France since the beginning of the pandemic. To date just over a million people in France have received the first shot of the vaccination since the start of the campaign.

Monaco Covid cases - 46 new cases of Covid have been identified in the Principality this weekend bringing the total number of residents affected to 1,357. Fifty-seven people are currently hospitalized and nine people are in intensive care. 146 people are being followed by the Home Monitoring Center.

Meanwhile the Monaco government has launched a new internet health platform. Monaco Santé allows Monegasques, residents and visitors to discover the Principality's healthcare offer and access information related to health such as health news, a directory of contact details for all Monaco health professionals and establishments together with online appointment booking. More details are available at monacosante.mc.

Eleven cases of the English variant identified in a nursing home in Toulouse - Eleven cases of the English variant of Covid have been confirmed in a nursing home in Toulouse. Eight residents and three staff members tested positive on Sunday. To date in the region 21 cases of the variant have been identified including the 11 cases in the nursing home.

Hunter accident shoots fellow hunter - A hunter has accidently shot another hunter in the leg. The incident happened on Sunday morning during a wild board hunt north of Bergerac. The 26-year-old accidently let off his rifle as he was getting out of his vehicle. The 43-year-old victim suffered serious leg injuries and was taken to hospital in Bordeaux. Following the accident, the president of the Federation of Hunters Michel Amblard said that “this should not happen, adding that regular training takes place to avoid such incidents”.

15-year-old boy severely beaten in Paris neighbourhood - A 15-year-old boy is in a critical condition in hospital after he was severely beaten in a Paris neighbourhood. The incident has triggered a wave of outrage across France and abroad, with sports stars and celebrities expressing their outrage at the attack and support for the victim. Police have launched an investigation into the attempted intentional homicide.

France to tighten laws to better protect children against sexual abusers - President Emmanuel Macron has said France will tighten its laws to better protect children against sexual abusers. In a series of tweets Macron said that France needed to adapt its laws to better protect children from sexual violence. He said he had asked the justice minister to launch consultations that would result in legislative proposals.

Presidential election - With fifteen months before the presidential election in France a recent survey has seen the leader of the National Rally Marine Le Pen gather between 26 to 27% of the votes compared to 23-24% for the outgoing President. The figures were published in the Harris interactive survey commission by Commstrat film and the daily L’Opinion.

Vendée Globe - The mayor of Sables d'Olonne Yannick Moreau, has written to French President Emmanuel Macron asking that a small audience be