French region around Nice imposes partial weekend COVID-19 lockdown

French region around Nice imposes partial weekend COVID-19 lockdown
February 22, 2021, 10:50 am

People, wearing a protective face mask, walk on the Promenade des Anglais, after France reopened its beaches to the public, in Nice, France, on May 16, 2020. (Reuters)

The Alpes-Maritimes region, around Nice in the South of France, on Monday announced a partial lockdown over the next two weekends in the coastal area between Menton and Theoule to fight a surge in coronavirus infections.

Local government official Bernard Gonzalez said the situation in Alpes-Maritimes had “sharply deteriorated” and a vaccination campaign would be accelerated.

The mayor of the French city of Nice called on Sunday for a weekend lockdown in the area to stop the flow of visitors, saying tourists are welcome in normal times, but the city needs to focus on battling a sharp spike in coronavirus infections.

The Nice area has the highest COVID-19 infection rate in France, with 740 new cases per week per 100,000 residents, according to Covidtracker.fr, triple the national average.

source: Reuters

Image source: Reuters

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