Christian Estrosi, the mayor of Nice, announced the cancellation of the carnival. This decision was followed by the mayor of Menton, Jean-Claude Guibal.*
Thus, the flower battle and the night parade planned for this Saturday are canceled. The king will nevertheless still be burned this Sunday, but the fireworks have been canceled as well.
The mayor of Nice wanted to clarify, however, that this decision was made as a preventive measure and “no case of coronavirus has been detected” so far in Nice.
“With the geographical proximity of what our neighboring Italian authorities have announced, I prefer to cancel the last outing of next Saturday,” declared Christian Estrosi.
For now, confinement measures have been taken in France. As a precaution, people who have recently traveled to a country affected by a coronavirus epidemic – China, Singapore, South Korea, or also the affected regions in Italy – are asked to stay home for 14 days.
However, six suspected cases have been taken care of at the Archet hospital, announced the Nice University Hospital Center this Wednesday. They have been tested for COVID-19 coronavirus.
Infectiologist Eric Cua clearly explains the reason for this growing concern and the spread of this virus: “There is this mystery coming from abroad, but it’s a virus we know well, coronaviruses have always been respiratory viruses, it’s not new. An infected person can, on average, transmit the virus to 6-8 people in their surroundings, which is slightly more than the transmission of the flu. To prevent the spread of the virus, basic protection measures must be implemented. This means that from the moment one has signs of respiratory problems, one is potentially carrying a viral disease, whether it’s coronavirus, the flu, or another virus. Common sense and civility mean wearing a small surgical mask that protects your surroundings from your respiratory secretions.”
