Lunchtime News Wednesday March 3rd 2021

Nice Fire-Fire has destroyed a ground floor apartment in the centre of Nice.

Reports say that the fire broke out in the block on the avenue Henri Sappia in the early hours of this morning.

Several fire engines attended the blaze at the four storey building with 8 people suffering from slight smoke inhalation but there are no reports of any serious injuries.

Resident from the entire building have been evacuated and housed in temporary accommodation.

The cause of the fire has not yet been established.

Spectacular skies-People in the south of France woke up to spectacular skies this morning although the weather is set to be mainly cloudy today.

Photographs showed a spectrum of colours in the Cote d’Azur sky at sunrise ranging from deep red ,yellowly orange ,pink and blue.

Weather experts say that the phenomenon was caused by moisture at high altitude combining with the rising sun and the length of light-waves.

Saharan sand in the atmosphere also contributed to the display.

Var lockdown ? The president of the Sud-Paca region has expressed his opposition to a weekend lockdown in the Var as part of government efforts to reduce the spread of coronavirus.

Renaud Muselier says he doesn’t think a lockdown will help to control the virus to any great extent.

A decision on whether to impose a weekend lockdown in the Var as well as the neighbouring Bouches du Rhone department may be reached following the meeting of the French cabinet in Paris today.

The Alpes Maritimes is already set to enter a second weekend lockdown from 6pm on Friday.

Health warning- A leading Monaco cardiologist is advising people suffering from heart disease and hypertension in particular ,to ask to be vaccinated against Covid-19 as soon as possible.

Professor Atul Pathak who’s the head of the Cardiology Unit at Princess Grace Hospital says that 50 percent of the patients currently on ventilators in the intensive care unit  are suffering from hypertension and has warned that the virus can cause “severe problems” for people with heart disease.

The professor has also sought to calm fears over the side effects of vaccines and says that they are only “temporary” and are not a cause for alarm.

Pollen alert- Hay fever sufferers in the south of France are being warned about high pollen levels over the next few days.

Pollen from cypress trees is the main culprit with a level three warning in force for the PACA region with the exception of mountain areas.

Hay fever sufferers are advised to make sure that they have enough medication and to limit exposure to the air if possible.