Lunchtime news update Tuesday 10th March 2020
Suspected cases of coronavirus on a cruise ship in Marseille - A cruise ship has been immobilized this morning Tuesday 10th March in the harbour of Marseille due to two suspected cases of coronavirus on board the ship. The prefecture has confirmed that "two people have disembarked” as a precaution, to carry out tests" at a local hospital. Adding that with the tests currently underway, “authorities are awaiting the green light from the Regional Health Agency (ARS) to authorise the ship to dock in the port of Marseille”.
The cruise ship coming from Valencia in Spain, can transport more than 2,000 people.
Thello train network suspended - Following the quarantine of Lombardy by the Italian government due to the coronavirus, all Marseille-Nice-Milan trains, in both directions run by the company Thello have been canceled from today, Tuesday 10th March through until Friday 3rd April.
The suspension of the train service was announced by the company this morning and comes following the whole of Italy being placed in quarantine.
British Airways - Also, this morning, British Airways has announced the cancellation of all of its daily flights to Italy. The airline confirmed that "all customers who were scheduled to travel today (Tuesday) have been contacted", without giving details of any cancellations for the next few days.
Coronavirus figures in France - The latest reports are of 30 deaths from the coronavirus in France with 1,412 confirmed cases, the country is approaching stage 3 of the epidemic which according to officials, could be reached in the coming days.
There are still 22 patients hospitalized because of the coronavirus in the Alpes-Maritimes according to a press release from the prefecture published by the prefecture which reports two new cases in Nice on Monday. Nine cases have been detected in the Var.
Corsica has recorded its first death from the coronavirus, an 89-year-old man at Ajaccio hospital. According to the latest assessment from the Regional Health Agency of Corsica, 28 people on the island have been infected including 23 in Ajaccio. Among these cases, "three were in intensive care".
French President Emmanuel Macron has this morning visited an emergency call centre at a hospital in Paris. The fourth in a series of trips devoted to the coronavirus crisis.
"The president wishes to send a message of support and recognition to highly mobilized staff, at the forefront of the coronavirus prevention, programme”.
France’s minister of health interviewed on French radio - The Minister of Health, Olivier Véran has tried to reassure the public in the face of the Covid-19 epidemic in France.
Speaking on French radio this morning Véran claimed that the “French healthcare system was largely capable of coping with the spread of the virus” adding that “care workers” will be supported and will be able to consult their patients remotely, via video, especially in remote areas.
The minister insisted that in the event of schools closing “a parent would be able to look after several children allowing others to go to work”.
Fight between two rival gangs in Cannes - National and local Police in Cannes have been praised following their intervention after a fight between two rival gangs broke out at Cannes train station on Saturday.
The reason behind the incident remains unclear. An investigation is currently underway.
Man injured after being shot at in Avignon - A man in his forties has been injured by gunshots. The incident occurred at around 8.50pm on Monday evening, on avenue Paul Claudel in Avignon.
The man has been hospitalized and is in a stable condition. Police have opened an investigation to determine the reason behind the shooting.
Lottery winner - A bar tabac in Aix-en-Provence has reported one lucky lottery winner who has validated a winning ticket winning three million euros.
The ticket was validated on February 19th after the winning draw of 16 21 40 41 46.
It’s not the first time that this bar has had a winner. According to the owner two previous players had won 100,000 euros.
Sadly, however there is one winner in Marseille who has failed to validate their ticket on time. The ticket was purchased a month ago at the Grand Littoral shopping centre in Marseille. The million euros has never been claimed.
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