New lockdown in Monaco on the cards? The Government strengthens measures
On Friday, the government of the Principality reviewed the sanitary situation in the country and announced the strengthening of measures to combat the spread of the virus.
To limit the movements of people in the Principality, teleworking is compulsory now for all positions which allow it in the private and public sectors starting on February 8 and until the February 19th.
The government calls on companies to systematize such a regime of work for a period of 15 days, which can be increased in accordance with the evolution of the situation in the field of health in the Principality.
Within the government, home working is the norm in all departments, although services remain open to the public. Any request for the provision of the equipment necessary for remote work in favour of an official or a State agent not equipped with this equipment and whose missions are compatible with remote work will be prioritized. This request must be sent by the supervisory department to the Information Systems Department (DSI).
In the private sector, where the nature of an employee’s work allows and the employer can provide the employee with the appropriate equipment, home working should be implemented with the employee’s agreement, unless the employee is on sick leave. Ultimately, any job that does not require the employee’s physical presence in the workplace in order to be effectively performed should be done home.
New complementary measures
In addition, the government announced that now when visiting a closed space, such as a place of worship or a commercial center, the attendance metric, called the “gauge”, is limited to 1 person for 6 m2 instead of 4m2 previously.
Gathering in public spaces is limited to 6 people now, instead of 10 before. The exception is for large families.
It is also mandatory to have a negative Covid-19 test for all foreign citizens while in Monaco.
The test must be done no later than 72 hours prior. The exception is visitors from France, as well as students, pupils and employees who are in the Principality due to their studies or work.
The Principality has managed to carry out 3,500 PCR tests last week and 1,500 antigen tests. It is important to notice that now there is no need for a prescription for those who want to do a PCR test. To get an appointment one should call the center at 92.05.55.00.
To find detailed information about all sanitary measures implemented in Monaco, visit the website covid19.mc
New lockdown in Monaco?
During the press conference minister of State Pierre Dartout has also touched upon the topic of a possibility of a new confinement in the Principality. He explained that the incidence rate in Monaco is 400 and it is getting closer to that in Nice, 500, where the situation is more severe regarding the epidemiological situation.
Moreover, the fatality linked with Covid-19 has risen. Three Monaco residents died because of coronavirus in 2020; this number is up to 16 persons having died in 2021 up to now, and most of them within the last 10 days.
Pierre Dartout highlighted that in general the epidemic in the Principality has worsened significantly. He concluded that if the government doesn’t succeed to manage the incidence rate of the epidemic with the current health measures, he doesn’t exclude that the following step could be a new lockdown in Monaco.
