News
Strike action on region's transport network - The region's travel network is set to be disrupted today due to strike action. There will be no trams in Nice and few buses, due to the movement launched nationwide by the inter-union. Tram lines 1, 2 and 3 will not be running in Nice along with several bus routes. For the latest updates and information go to lignesdazur.com. As far as disruption to the trains is concerned, details are expected to be published on www.sncf.com and on the regional TER service pages at www.ter.sncf.com. A demonstration is planned in Nice at 2pm today outside the railway station. Unions are protesting at the government's proposed recovery plan.
Teachers strike - Meanwhile teachers are also planning strike action today across France in protest at planned job cuts for September by France’s Ministry of Education. Unions protest that taking into account the situation of learning alongside Covid and an increase in the number of students the job cuts are unjustified.
Defense Council meeting - Meetings of the French Health Defense Council and the Council of Ministers took place on Wednesday to take stock of the current health situation in France. Speaking after the meetings, government spokesperson Gabriel Attal said that a new confinement is "not inevitable" and described it as "a last resort" but the situation "remains fragile". He said that with regard to coronavirus numbers, "we are on a high plateau but more or less stable". He added that 1.5 million more people are being vaccinated in February. Concerning a possible extension of the school holidays he said that no additional measures are planned at this stage but "everything is still on the table in principle".
Press conference - Prime Minister Jean Castex and Health Minister Olivier Veran are expected to hold a press conference on the health situation today, February 4th, at 6pm. No new restrictions are expected to be announced.
Latest numbers for Covid in France - Meanwhile the numbers of hospitalizations for Covid in France published on Wednesday evening remain high, with 27,953 hospitalized patients (-76 compared to the day before), including 3,267 in intensive care (-3). Public Health France has recorded a total of 358 deaths in 24 hours, a level higher than the average for the last seven days (337).
Alpes Maritimes - The Regional Health Agency announced 9 new deaths from Covid-19 in the Alpes-Maritimes on Wednesday 3rd February. Since the start of the pandemic, the coronavirus has claimed 1,196 victims in the department (847 in the hospital, 349 in nursing homes). Hospitalizations show a slight increase with an additional five people being admitted on Wednesday and six additional patients were admitted to intensive care.
Monaco – Monaco identified 29 new cases of Covid on Wednesday 3rd February bringing the total number of residents affected to 1,572. Sixty-seven people are currently hospitalized and eleven patients are in intensive care. The Principality deplored its eighteenth death from Covid, a 91-year-old resident. 139 people are to date being followed by the Home Monitoring Center.
New Covid centre - A new Covid-19 vaccination center has opened in Le Luc in the Var. It's the 9th such centre in the department and completes the Var's network of vaccination centres. You can find details of all the centres and how to make an appointment on the Prefecture's website: var.gouv.fr.
French in favour of stricter lockdown - According to the latest survey carried out by Elabe the majority of French people would be in favour of a strict lockdown rather than a "soft" one. The survey published on Wednesday showed that 55% of French people wanted a "strict" confinement, modeled on first lockdown back in March. The survey showed that seniors were more in favour of a "soft" lockdown with 60% of those over 65, while young people are in favour of a &quo
