“Just one morning, around fifty customers wanted to buy hydroalcoholic gel and masks, but we don't have any. They are told that paper models are useless for protection. People are worried. " Like this testimony from a pharmacist in Menton on Monday, residents of the Alpes-Maritimes began to anticipate a possible arrival of the coronavirus. Almost as if it were inevitable.
In this border region of Italy, where trade between the two countries is natural and daily, no case of Covid-19 was however detected at the end of the day after a false alert on two people raised in the morning.
Besides the immediate proximity to Italy, the main short-term concern is related to the strong influx of tourists with the Nice carnival and the lemon festival in Menton which will end at the end of the week. The two events, traditionally attracting tens of thousands of visitors, will not be canceled in the current state of things said Monday the prefecture after a meeting with local elected officials, health and rescue services. A position that could change if the virus takes hold. "It will be up to the State to indicate the measures to be taken depending on the evolution of the situation," said the mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi (LR).
In Cannes, gates to detect fever?
To deal with any eventuality, several measures have been decided around the care of possible contaminated patients. The establishment of "a daily monitoring unit with state services and communities" is in place. In a few days, the Nice University Hospital will be equipped "to analyze samples for suspected cases more quickly" so far carried out in Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône), it was also announced.
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Sufficient measures? Not really according to the deputy and departmental advisor Eric Ciotti (LR): "I have the feeling that there is a great lack of anticipation," he deplores, "a lack of materials such as gantry detectors for fever at 'airport and lack of information, for example, for people arriving at the border'. Among the devices envisaged on the Côte d'Azur, the city of Cannes confirmed that it is considering acquiring equipment for detecting fever, perhaps gantry cranes. They would soon be installed at the entrance to the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, at the ports and at Cannes-Mandelieu airport.
