Don't come here!
This is the call from the mayor of Nice, as large parts of the French Riviera are introducing drastic measures to try and halt the spread of coronavirus.
Is tourism a threat to public health? Yes, that was the claim made yesterday by Christian Estrosi, the mayor of Nice. He is an elected official in a city with the highest proportion of COVID infections in France: three times higher than the national average.
– We look forward to welcoming tourists here this summer, once we have won this battle. But right now, there is a time coming when we must say: Not right now.
The Nice mayor added that the influx of people to the Riviera is a contributing factor to problems in intensive care in Nice:
– We had too many flights here between Christmas and New Year. There were 20 planes landing here on December 20th and we went from 20 to 120 flights a day from English-speaking countries, Scandinavia, the UAE, and Russia. We shouldn't have accepted that.
Airport testing
Today, Estrosi's plea was heard by the French government, which has introduced special COVID-19 measures along much of the French Riviera, from Menton in the east to Théoule-sur-Mer, west of Cannes.
Face masks will be mandatory everywhere, a curfew will be in effect all weekend from 6 PM Friday to 6 AM Monday morning, with the exception of one hour for sports, walks, and grocery shopping. Others must carry a permit to leave their homes. Large shopping centres will be closed down but are permitted to sell online. The curfew will apply for at least the next two weekends.
Drinking alcohol in public places is prohibited and airline passengers may need to be tested for Covid upon arrival at the Riviera's airports.
This is the first time that time-limited regional lockdowns are being introduced in France. The measures affecting the Riviera come into effect immediately and will initially last for two weeks.
Source: svt.se
