The Prime Minister announced on Friday evening the lockdown of the entire department of Alpes-Maritimes for four weeks, due to an incidence rate higher than 400 and significant hospital pressure.
While the local elected officials, except for the Mayor of Menton Jean-Claude Guibal who commented laconically “as much as this decision is painful, it is difficult to criticize it”, took the opportunity for a barrage against the Government, starting from the relentless Eric Ciotti who blasted the announcement with a single blow “ineffective and unjust”.
The number one enemy of every government since 2012 was followed by the President of the Departmental Council Charles-Ange Ginésy who expressed his “shock”, Jean Leonetti, mayor of Antibes, calling it “largely incoherent”, David Lisnard, mayor of Cannes, who condemns the “incoherences” and describes them as “arbitrary”, ending with Jérôme Viaud, mayor of Grasse, stating “it’s deplorable.”
Between the lines, this collective stance is also critically addressed to the mayor of Nice and President of the Metropolis Christian Estrosi who, they claim, wrongly supports, even if indirectly, the Government’s line.
In opposition, the elected representative from Nice relies on his unshakeable alliance with the President of the Region Renaud Muselier with whom he should form the ticket for the upcoming regional elections. For the duo, the priority is the “deconfinement of Alpes-Maritimes” as soon as possible, and in any case before the start of the electoral campaign. The “400” incidence rate is the red line that must be quickly crossed to request the Government to reverse its decision.
The duo announced three actions by the Region to get below the 400 incidence rate in Alpes-Maritimes. Their observation is simple: “For the past 3 weeks, the reduction in virus circulation in the department is clear: we have gone from an incidence of 640 to 418, and this trend is ongoing. All our efforts must be focused on getting below the 400 incidence rate, so as to reopen as soon as possible and deconfine the Alpes-Maritimes.”
In short, for them, the goal is to emerge with a positive note, so as not to give additional weapons to their “friends”. Surely, they would be tempted to use them!
