Lunchtime News Wednesday 16th September 2020

Local

Strike Action - Transport in the region is expected to be disrupted tomorrow Thursday 17th September after a call for national strike action demanding wage increases as unions ask everyone to “mobilize for a better future”.

Demonstrations are expected against the employment policy in France with unions gathering at 10am at Place Massena in Nice. SNCF unions have called for strike action from 8pm this evening until Friday 7.55am with the tram and bus network also experiencing disruptions.

Covid-19 - The Regional Health Agency has identified 13 active clusters of Covid-19 in the Var. The number of deaths in the Var to date stands at 153 since the start of the epidemic.

France needs do better at testing for Covid-19 - Meanwhile according to French media French President Emmanuel Macron refuses to impose overly restrictive measures in the face of Covid-19 with the head of state ruling out the scenario of a further generalized lockdown and preferring to adjust its strategy to "live with the virus".

The President has called for shorter deadlines for test results saying that “We are not going to make French people pay for the fact that we are not good at testing! “ adding that while one million tests were being carried out each week the waiting time for results still remains "too long".

Saliva tests for Covid-19 for the end of September - Following Macron’s comments the president of the Scientific Council in France announced on Tuesday that saliva tests for the coronavirus should be rolled out across France from the end of September.

Professor Jean-Francois Delfraissy told senators that the tests, which he said had a 'sensitivity of 80%', had been tested in the Paris region and would make testing quicker and easier than the current swab method.

He said they would make it  possible to develop a 'simpler strategy' to deal with outbreaks of the illness. Results will be available between 15 minutes and one hour after a sample was taken, he told the hearing.

Nice Côte d’Azur Airport - Nice Côte d'Azur airport has been listed as the 5th most beautiful in Europe from the sky. PrivateFly has released its annual survey to establish the list of the most beautiful airports.

Each year, PrivateFly asks a panel of international travel industry experts as well as enthusiasts to choose their preferred airport approach.

While Nice is no longer among the 10 most beautiful approaches in the world, it has been ranked the 5th most beautiful in Europe. It was Donegal Airport in Ireland which took the top spot in the worldwide ranking.