View from the Back
Ramblings of a retiree in France
Further Lockdown Measures
While my beloved and I have been playing by the rules, evidently some of the local residents have not and, thanks to them, the lockdown measures have been increased!
Nice and the surrounding area along the Riviera from Menton to Théole-sur-Mer (see map below) are now subject to a weekend lockdown as Covid cases spike and hospitals struggle to cope. Capacity is now 100%, there’s no more room in our hospitals!
Following consultations between local and national government, the prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes département announced extra restrictions to try and contain cases of the virus, which are currently three times higher than the national average.
Prefect Bernard Gonzalez announced a series of measures in a press conference on Monday including a weekend lockdown for Nice and its surrounding urban coastal area. He said:
All these areas have a high incidence rate compared to the national average. The epidemic situation has deteriorated considerably. If nothing is done, infections will continue to increase.
The Alpes-Maritimes département will from today be closing all shops of more than 5,000 square metres (500 sq ft) – apart from food shops and pharmacies. It has already closed most of the indoor shopping malls.
Border controls along the Italian border have been stepped up and face masks are obligatory in all busy areas – thought they were already – throughout the whole of the Alpes-Maritimes. Social distancing rules in public places will be reinforced and thousands of extra vaccine doses will be delivered to the area.
The week-end lockdown concerns only the urban area from Menton on the Italian border along the Riviera coast to Théoule-sur-Mer (marked with a red point in the map below) – including Nice, Cannes, Antibes, Grasse and Cagnes sur Mer and will be in force for the next two week-ends initially – bang goes my plans to watch Paris-Nice live!
The prefect also warned that a week-long lockdown has not been ruled out if the situation does not improve.
From Friday at 6pm to Monday at 6am, we’ll be subject to the same rules as during France’s two previous lockdowns – all trips from home are banned apart from a specified list of essential reasons which includes food shopping, medical trips and walking the dog.
Trips out for exercise are allowed but must be limited to one hour per day and within 5km of our home – a slight relaxation of the previous 1km rule. So no weekend rides on the bike for us!
All trips out of the home will need a self-certified attestation (permission form) stating the reason for being out and about.
The nationwide 6pm curfew will remain in place during the week.
Nice’s Mayor Christian Estrosi, who has been calling for extra checks, declared himself ‘satisfied’ with the new rules.
An extra 4,000 doses of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine have been delivered to the département and a ‘massive’ vaccination of people aged between 50 and 64 with underlying health conditions, using the AstraZeneca vaccine, will also begin this week, added Gonzalez.
The Alpes-Maritimes coastal area is so far the only part of France to be subject to additional local measures, something that could become widespread in other hotspot areas, as per below.
It only takes a few to spoil it for everyone!
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So it does!
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😬 I understand your frustrations, keep safe ❤️
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I will, thanks Elaine
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Stay safe; it is maddening when people don’t understand that their failure to follow the guidelines affects so many more. There should be a special place in hell for callous indifference.
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LOL – Think that place is the SouthEastern States of the USA!
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I hope there is!
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Selfishness from a few affects the more selfless majority. Sorry for the inconveniences. Reminds me of that old adage that if you children don’t behave, we’ll give you something to cry about.
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One restriction we have never had so far here in Frankfurt (knock on wood) is how long and how far from home we can ride our bicycles. I hope it stays that way.
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Lucky you
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Sad and decisions at random. We are ok in Bretagne still ,and can go anywhere and now smaller towns do not need the mask anymore. Until the madness can be explain we will be on this roller coaster ride.
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Sadly yes
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Well… Hooray let’s get vaccinated be safe wear your mask.
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Indeed
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I’m so sorry. We’re (SoCal) currently aggressively reducing lockdown as the prev wave seems to have crested and vaccines are rolling out (slowly). The elementary school across from me is currently planned to reopen on Mar 29. I’m terrified that my job may re-eval the olan to return in mid July and move it back to April again… DO NOT WANT.
Sending you good health juju!!
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I definitely feel your frustrations! It only takes a few people not following the rules to spread this nasty virus all over the place. Here in the Netherlands, the lockdown measures were slightly relaxed (or will be from next week on I believe).
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Lucky you Astrid
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4,000 doses? Wow, I wish that was “massive” for us. I watch Japan freak out over 100 deaths while over here no one even blinked as the US hit 500,000 covid deaths.
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Cultural differences
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I think you spelled “intellectual” wrong.
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Crazy we aren’t in much different of a position after almost a year!
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Sadly
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People here and People there..not abiding by the rules….take care ❣
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Thanks
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This is so frustrating, I don’t understand why people don’t get it. I’m sorry you guys have to deal with others poor decisions.
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One of our issues is that the south of France is a retirement haven with a higher than average, average age.
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I hear from England that their lockdown is working. My 49 year old daughter is getting her vaccine next week. Still can’t get hubby’s
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Good news and not so good news
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So upsetting to hear this. Do take care.
We in the US, the world’s leader in unnecessary deaths bc of “the former guy,” are seeing real change in the right direction. But there will soon be a large defiantly maskless convention that may well cause another spike. Disgraceful polarization of a public health crisis.
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That’s good and bad
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That’s bad. That’s about as bad as it can get before collapse. Stay safe
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I will, thank you.
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Put them in the stocks!
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So we can throw vegetables at them!
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Never seen stocks in Fray
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They should bring them back! lol .Put all the naughty people in them! lol
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Now, there’s a thought
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France
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Very sorry to read this. I guess selfish oafs are the same everywhere.
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´Fraid so!
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Stay safe! I’ve been following the lockdowns in Europe and it seems a lot of people don’t want to follow the rules.
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Sadly so
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Sorry to hear this…best wishes.
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Nice
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Very sorry..autocorrect..
Sad to hear that
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Me too as the weather would be perfect for a long ride this weekend
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😊
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