Lunchtime News Friday 22nd May 2020

Scam - Police have warned of a scam circulating in Vallauris in the Alpes Maritimes. Several elderly people have been approached by individuals posing as inspectors from the Regional Health Agency, offering to carry out test in their homes to detect the potential presence of Covid-19 in their homes.

Anyone who may have been approached is advised to contact the town hall or the local police on 04.93.64.30.31.

Fire at hair salon in Cannes - A fire has broken out in a hair salon in Cannes. The blaze broke out on Thursday evening when the business was closed and nobody was on the premises.

Firefighters managed to extinguish the fire and prevent it from spreading to apartments above. Residents were temporarily evacuated during the intervention. The cause of the blaze remains unknown.

Sailing - Since Wednesday 20th May, authorities have allowed boats flying the Monaco flag the authorisation to sail and to stop over in French territorial waters in the Mediterranean.

For vessels registered under a French flag they also have the possibility of sailing and stopping over in the Principality's territorial waters.

There is however still in place the restriction along the coastline to a maximum distance of 54 nautical miles from all ports.

Warning from the director of the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control about a second wave – The director of the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control has warned that “it is not a question of if there will be a new wave of the coronavirus but when”.

As many countries have started an easing on lockdown measures, Andrea Ammon, said Europe must prepare for a second wave of the Covid-19.  

Speaking to the British daily newspaper The Guardian. Ammon added that "The virus is around us, circulating much more than in January and February", stressing “that the figures concerning the immunity of the population were not encouraging: "85% to 90%" remain exposed to Covid-19 disease”.

While Andrea Ammon said she “didn’t want to paint a disastrous image, we have to be realistic and now is not the time to completely relax”

Europe is the continent most affected by the pandemic, with nearly 2 million cases, including 169,932 deaths, mainly in the United Kingdom, Italy, France and Spain, according to a latest figures published on Thursday. Worldwide there have been over five million cases including 328,000 deaths.

While many European countries have started to lift restrictions on deconfinement, Andrea Ammon believes that a second wave will not necessarily be disastrous if people continue to follow the rules of distancing.

Take away alcohol - To defeat the ban on reopening, many restaurants have started selling takeaway alcohol. So far, authorities have not banned "aperitifs", but alcohol consumption has been limited in many places, following behavior deemed "irresponsible".

In Rennes, the consumption of alcohol and picnics has been prohibited in a large part of the city until June 2nd in reaction to "dozens of people gathering, without respecting safety distances" during the first deconfinement weekend.

The French secret service - The technical director of the French secret service has said, in a rare public appearance, that the  French secret service is looking to recruit geeks rather than budding young James Bonds as it adapts to new demands in the post-coronavirus world.

Patrick Pailloux said there is a danger that many young tech-savvy French people simply do not consider themselves suitable for the stereotypes of France’s Directorate-General for External Security (DGSE).

The DGSE had previously acknowledged that it had seen a surge of interest in its work thanks to the hugely popular TV drama “Le Bureau des Légendes”.

Pailloux was speaking as 65,000 school pupils took part in an annual competition in France, with the backing of the DGSE, in decoding and cryptography.

 

 

 

 

 

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