Lunchtime News Wednesday 15th April 2020

New decree published by the Alpes Maritimes concerning the curfew - The prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes will publish today, Wednesday, April 15th, a new decree. Which, similar to the previous one, prohibits travel between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. in all municipalities with more than 10,000 inhabitants as well as coastal municipalities. The curfew will be in place until May 11th.

This text known as "restriction of freedom of movement and freedom to come and go" takes up the conditions of the previous one: same hours (from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.), same perimeter (municipalities of more than 10,000 inhabitants and coastal municipalities ), and the same exceptions (professional journey, health reason, compelling family reason, mission of general interest).

Another decree which has been extended until May 11th, is that the forbids tourist rentals, access to the port of Nice, the forest, the coastline, canals, rivers and streams.

On March 22nd, the Alpes-Maritimes prefecture was the first in France to publish an order "restricting freedom of movement" between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.

The decree concerns Nice, Cannes, Antibes, Cagnes-sur-Mer, Grasse, Le Cannet, Menton, Saint-Laurent-du-Var, Vallauris, Mandelieu-la-Napoule, Mougins, Vence, Villeneuve-Loubet, Beausoleil , Valbonne, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, Carros, La Trinité, as well as on the coast Théoule-sur-Mer, Villefranche-sur-Mer, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, Beaulieu-sur-Mer, Eze, Cap d 'Ail.

Supermarkets and food stores will also have to close at 9:30 p.m. "to allow their customers to respect the curfew set at 10 p.m."

Professor Didier Raoult predicts the end of the Covid 19 epidemic in the PACA region - In a video published on the IHU Mediterranean Infection website in Marseille, Professor Didier Raoult predicts the end of the Covid 19 epidemic in a few weeks, at least in the Paca region. Remarks which have again raise criticisms, from the Regional Health Service.

With 132 new cases tested positive in 24 hours in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, official figures from Public Health France confirm a steady decline in the progression of the disease in the region.

But Professor Didier Raoult, head of the IHU Méditerranée Infection in Marseille, goes further. In a video published on Tuesday on the site of the institute, he indicates that according to him, the epidemic is gradually disappearing.

"It is possible that the epidemic will disappear in Spring and that within a few weeks” he adds.

A claim immediately denied by the regional health agency (ARS) PACA, which for its part indicates that the epidemic is not decreasing.

The director of ARS for the PACA region, Philippe De Mester, replies that "it is premature to predict the end of the epidemic".

"Unfortunately, we don't know. We have been recording, for the past few days, a decrease in the progression of the epidemic, not at all a regression. The epidemic will continue and it will take weeks. "

Philippe De Mester underlines it: "It is imperative to respect the containment measures these next weeks, to avoid a second wave of contamination".

If the professor is strongly criticized by a part of the scientific community, he seems to have seduced the head of state Emmanuel Macron who reportedly in an interview with French media, described the Marseille researcher as "a great scientist".

Emmanuel Macron spoke of his recent unexpected visit to meet the Professor in Marseille saying "I am not a doctor. I am not a specialist in infectious diseases like Professor Raoult, for whom I have a lot of respect and whom I indeed went to see, to understand and make sure that what he proposed was well tested in clinical trials, "said Emmanuel Macron.

Emmanuel Macron indicates on the subject saying that the dual therapy of Pr. Raoult must be "tested".

Concluding that “His duty is that all the therapeutic avenues pursued today, can be subjected to rigorous clinical trials, and as quickly as possible, so that we can find a treatment."

Coronavirus - 11,170 people have tested positive for the Covid-19 coronavirus in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region since the start of the epidemic.

132 new cases of Covid-19 coronavirus were detected in 24 hours, bringing to 11,170 the number of positive people in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur since February 28th, according to the situation report of April 14th.

Despite everything, the disease has progressed more slowly in recent days. There is a further drop in the number of new cases registered in 24 hours, bringing the number from 481 on April 12 to 248 on April 13 and 132 on Tuesday.

There are over 100,000 confirmed cases in France. 15,729 deaths occurred among people during their hospitalization or within nursing home and 6,730 people are currently hospitalized in intensive care.

In stage 3, as in stage 2, the message remains the same, also reminds the prefecture.

"To limit the spread of the epidemic, the most effective measure is the simplest, based on individual responsibility, that is to say: respecting barrier gestures."

Wash your hands very regularly

Cough or sneeze into your elbow or into a tissue

Greet without shaking hands, avoid kissing

Use and dispose of single-use tissues

Respect the distances

Stay at home and only go out for the bare necessities

In case of symptoms (cough, fever) that make you think of COVID 19, the only reflex is to stay at home, repeat the authorities.

For questions about the COVID 19 coronavirus, a toll-free number answers permanently, 24/7: 0 800 130 000.

Medical equipment distributed - Part of the medical equipment which arrived on Monday from China has been distributed at Cimiez hospital to reinforce the stocks of the public establishment.

Tuesday afternoon, the mayor of Nice delivered part of the medical equipment ordered from China. "30% masks, 80% of the rest (blouses, aprons, gloves ...) and 100% B4 suits, for Covid units, were delivered in priority at the Nice University Hospital, "said Christian Estrosi, during a press conference at the hospital in Cimiez.

"A medical officer of health will dispatch the stocks according to the needs of each service," said the director of the CHU of Nice.

However, the health crisis is far from over. "Thousands of masks are used every day," admits the head of the CHU. This is why the mayor of Nice has adopted a continuous ordering strategy in order to meet the needs in the hospital and a "wider public".

Of the 750,000 masks transported by the cargo plane, a third, or 250,000 masks, were reserved for hospital staff.

The second third will be distributed in the coming days to healthcare staff working in the city. The third will go to people performing a public service mission.

INEOS delivers - Meanwhile, INEOS has this Wednesday 15th April, supplied free hand sanitizers to hospitals in the south of France as Marseille and Nice receive the first deliveries.

"A million bottles per month will be produced" in each of the four requisitioned sites, said the company in a statement on Wednesday.

Today, it delivers its first products free of charge to hospitals in Nice and Marseilles. Twenty other establishments in France will then be supplied with gel when "the factory reaches its full capacity".

The deliveries come just over 10 days after Jim Ratcliffe, announced that his company, which is the largest European producer of the two raw materials necessary to make a hospital-grade hand sanitizer on its sites would reserve its production for medical services and primary care.

For the majority shareholder of OGC Nice, Ratcliffe said that "starting the production of hand sanitizer in just ten days was a huge effort. We knew there was a significant shortage of hand sanitizers across France and that speed of action was crucial. We believe these INEOS disinfectants will play a key role in the fight against the virus, helping to protect frontline hospital workers and vulnerable people across the country. "

 

 

 

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