After the first weekend of lockdown, the prefect of Alpes-Maritimes, Bernard Gonzalez, held a press conference to provide an update.
It was time to make an initial assessment. Curfew, confined weekends… Restrictions have multiplied in recent days. All with a simple objective: to stop the spread of the virus in the department. The prefect of Alpes-Maritimes, Bernard Gonzalez, decided to organize a press conference to provide a health update on the current situation. He was accompanied by Romain Alexandre, departmental director of the Regional Health Agency, and Professor Milou-Daniel Drici, head of the medical pharmacology and toxicology laboratory at the Nice University Hospital.
During his speech, the prefect wanted to “thank the citizens for their scrupulous compliance with the rules.” Bernard Gonzalez also refuted certain accusations: “It is not possible to claim that there has been a massive exodus towards the Nice hinterland. As proof, the number of vehicles descending from the valleys on Sunday evening was relatively low.” Another notable fact, the attendance rate at ski resorts remained “very measured, between 40 and 65%.”
More than 1,200 fines this weekend
During this first weekend of lockdown, 21,500 people were checked by law enforcement. In total, 1,212 fines were issued for the absence of a mask or non-compliance with lockdown measures. Meanwhile, the municipal police issued over 520 fines. Despite these figures, Bernard Gonzalez concludes the lockdown weekend positively: “I am pleased because the sense of responsibility has prevailed. The message has been heard.”
The prefect of Alpes-Maritimes announced the continuation of this scheme for the next weekend. More checks are therefore to be expected. After this second weekend of lockdown, it will be time to draw further conclusions. “We are doing everything we can to avoid lockdown. We are mobilized, but the population must comply with the rules,” assures Bernard Gonzalez. Indeed, the situation remains very delicate. Alpes-Maritimes thus has an incidence rate of 617, a figure three times higher than the national average.
