In the capital, the temperature of the countryside has just gone up a notch. Faced with the "very worrying" outbreak of new cases of coronavirus in Italy - which makes WHO fear a " possible global pandemic " - the subject was inevitably invited to the debates in Paris. And more particularly in the municipal battle, where Agnès Buzyn (LREM) and Anne Hidalgo (PS) compete. Guest of Europe 1 Monday morning, the macronist candidate saw fit to attack her socialist opponent, saying that there had been " no contact with the town hall of Paris " when she occupied the ministry of health. " We basically prepared the health system and its resilience, " said the hematologist.
“ It is very important to anticipate: it is necessary that all the agents who work at the town hall of Paris, first, be prepared (and) trained (...). In my opinion they are not today. The question must be put to Ms. Hidalgo, "she added. “ Me, if I am mayor of Paris, and if I have the means to act on my administration, the first thing that I do is to train them, to prepare them. (...) If there is one thing I can do, it is obviously crisis management. I have done this many times in my life. And, as mayor, I could obviously take care of the Parisians, ”she promised. And to conclude: " You will ask (Ms. Hidalgo) if she has taken into account (the recommendations I made) and if she has trained her agents ".
Doctor Buzyn and Mrs Agnès
The respondent's response was immediate. During a press conference organized on Monday evening, the first deputy to the town hall of Paris, Emmanuel Grégoire, and the elected representative in charge of health, Anne Souyris, castigated the words " irresponsible " and " serious political error " of the former Minister of Health, who became a LREM candidate. Affirming that " the city of Paris is ready " to face a possible epidemic, they strangled themselves in front of the macronist's statements. " Agnes Buzyn lies, " they hammered bluntly, with a document in support: they provided the press with copies of letters exchanged between Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, and Agnès Buzyn.
These letters, which relate to the prevention of the epidemic, date from January 31 and February 12. Dates on which Agnès Buzyn was indeed Minister of Health - she left the government to embark on the race for municipal elections on February 16. As of the introduction of her missive addressed to Anne Hidalgo, Agnès Buzyn recalled that the councilor had " informed him of the arrangements made by the town hall of Paris and its teams on the information and recommendations of the ministry (...) ". Then she added: " Thank you very much for your mobilization, as well as that of your services ". Proof that contacts did indeed exist between the mayor and the minister. But that was before the campaign.
