"Agnès Buzyn ment" replied Emmanuel Grégoire curtly this Monday afternoon. The first deputy (PS) and campaign director of Anne Hidalgo had little taste for the words of the candidate LREM for mayor of Paris.
Asked about Europe 1 in the morning, the former Minister of Health assured that "there had been no contact with the town hall of Paris when (she) was at the ministry" about the coronavirus.
Agnes Buzyn also questioned the reality of the training of City of Paris agents to deal with a possible epidemic. "In my opinion, they are not today," she said, promising that it will be "one of the first things she will do" if she is elected.
Asked about the application by Anne Hidalgo of the recommendations issued by the Ministry of Health, Agnès Buzyn replied to the journalist: "Well, you will ask her if she took them into account and if she trained her agents".
Denouncing "irresponsible" remarks and "a serious political mistake", Emmanuel Grégoire assured that "the City of Paris is ready" to face an epidemic, brandishing two copies of letters exchanged between Anne Hidalgo and Minister Buzyn on 31 January and February 12, on the subject.
"It is absurd that a candidate uses this subject to fuel a political controversy," added the elected official. Agnes Buzyn was still in charge of this subject a few days ago, she knows very well that the state and city services have had many discussions on this subject ”.
"A real blunder of com '"
This Monday evening, we were trying to delay in the entourage of Agnès Buzyn: “What the candidate meant is that more anticipation is needed from the City and better coordination with services of the ministry ".
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"Agnes Buzyn never said that the City was not ready but that the City was not helping the State enough," continues Marie-Laure Harel, the spokesperson for the candidate LREM. That the City is organizing a press conference on remarks that were not made, it shows a real excitement ”.
The fact remains that according to political communication specialist Philippe Moreau-Chevrolet, the LREM candidate lacked skill in attacking the mayor of Paris over the coronavirus. "This attack is awkward and it is a real blunder of com," he notes. This reminds us that she was a minister ten days ago and that she left in the middle of a crisis, as her opponents denounce.