Day 1143 (Sunday) 26th July 2020
We both had a lovely lie and when I did wake up Badger was ‘holding my hand’. Last night he slept on the blanket I knitted him and he did again this afternoon.
I forgot to use this photo yesterday; while were in the happy whale bar with Dee yesterday evening she got a phone call from her husband Pat saying that he’d arrived in Dublin and it was pouring down. He sent her a photo taken from the bus from the airport into the city (he hates public transport) and it looked miserable. Huw and Pat constantly wind each other up so Huw took this photo and sent it to him – how cruel is that?
Anyway, back to today, we had planned on going somewhere but we were both feeling a tad lazy so Huw pottered around the flat and I sunbathed on the balcony for a few hours. When we lost the sun we took Kisbee up to the big apartment as the guests left yesterday so we needed to do some work. The next guests don’t arrive for another two weeks so it wasn’t worth getting it ready yet but I did all the laundry and Huw started the process of the deep clean. Every year before the season starts it needs to be properly cleaned from top to bottom so we started on the kitchen.
It was too hot to work hard but we made a good start and took a few cold beers to reward ourselves and thoroughly enjoyed them sitting in the sun admiring the view.
As Huw was parking Kisbee back home I noticed this new yacht in the bay – such great colours.
I received a text from Gilles, a student I started working with in February in the Marriott in Nice and we are having a class on Tuesday. It’s just two hours a week but it’s a move in the right direction towards normality. I assume we’ll have to wear masks as we usually do our classes in reception. Speaking of masks, I was quite perturbed when I read this article in the Local France.
'Progress lost': French health chiefs warn public after 'clear rise' in virus spread
French health officials have warned that there is a" clear increase" in the spread of coronavirus in France and that much of the progress made since the end of lockdown in May "has been erased".
The virus has begun to spread again in France after the relaxation of lockdown measures and as people take fewer precautions.
The number of new cases in France began to climb again, to more than 1,000 a day, according to the health ministry's DGS health directorate.
On Friday some 1,130 new cases were detected according to the DGS.
"We have returned to levels comparable with those at the end of the lockdown period," a DGS statement said.
The French health directorate sounded the alarm tonight after a worrying spike in Covid-19 cases. There were 1,130 new cases in 24 hours, after over 1,000 on Wed-Thurs and almost 1,000 Tues-Wed. The daily average has been creeping up but was around 500 until a week ago.
"We have thus erased a good part of the progress made during the initial weeks" since the lockdown was lifted, it added.
"It's more essential than ever to reimpose our collective discipline," the DGS warned.
French officials reported Friday that 30,192 people had died of COVID-19 to date, one of the highest numbers in Europe.
The "R" number that determines if the virus is spreading has risen to 1.3 meanwhile, meaning that every ten people with the virus will infect 13 others.
The DGS said on Friday it was encouraging French people to work from home if they could and reduce needless contact with others.
Health chiefs also said that members of the public should get tested if they were in any doubt they had the virus.
Automatic isolation is essential for anyone who has symptoms or who comes into contact with anyone who has tested positive or is ill, in order to limit the spread of the virus, the DGS warned.
Along with the United States and Brazil, which are reporting tens of thousands of new cases each day, the countries include Algeria, Bahrain, Israel, India, South Africa, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Panama, Peru, Serbia, Turkey and Madagascar.
Coronavirus tests will be rolled out across France by August 1, and will also be carried out at French ports, Castex said.
He also said that while France's border with Spain would remain open for now despite a surge in cases in Catalonia, "we strongly urge French people to avoid going there until the health situation improves."
As for people travelling to France from Spain, "we are in talks with the Spanish and Catalan authorities so that... they try to limit the flow as much as possible," he said.
We have been saying this for weeks; France really behaved from the start and as soon as the borders were opened this happens! (The following photos are not mine.)
These are the French towns making masks compulsory outdoors
Masks have been mandatory in indoor public places in France since Monday, on pain of a €135 fine, but more local authorities are now going a step further and making them compulsory outdoors too.
Popular tourist destinations including La Rochelle, Argelès-sur-mer, and Cannes are among the towns tightening up their mask-wearing rules in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
La Rochelle
The new measures mean that people will need to cover their faces outdoors in some of the towns' busiest areas.
The majority of the towns affected are in the northwest region of Brittany, which has seen a concerning uptick in coronavirus cases recently.
It comes after a new national government rule mandating masks in all indoor public places came into effect on July 20th.
Which towns have brought in outdoor mask-wearing rules?
In Brittany, the new measures are widespread. Local authorities in Finistère département have made it compulsory to wear masks in the outdoor markets of 31 communes including the port city of Brest.
In the town of Locronan, the rule applies to all streets.
Non-compliance could land you with a €135 fine.
Just to the east, in Brittany's Côtes-d’Armor département, mask-wearing in outdoor markets is now mandatory in nearly 70 communes including the picturesque tourist hotpot of Dinan.
In La Rochelle, on France's western coast, every person older than 11 must now wear a mask in the Old Port area as well as the streets and markets of the town's central zone. There is currently no fine for non-compliance, although the mayor says sanctions could be imposed from the start of August if the rules aren't respected.
In Nice mayor Christian Estrosi has made masks compulsory at events, indoor or outdoor and on certain busy streets, while in Cannes masks are now required at outdoor markets. Both rules carry a €38 fine.
In Argelès-sur-mer, also on the south coast, masks are now compulsory in the central beach area and in outdoor markets, with a possible €38 fine. In nearby Canet-en-Roussillon the rule applies only to markets.
Meanwhile, the towns of Grau-du-Roi and Mandelieu-la-Napoule have made masks compulsory on all streets in the town centres, with a €38 and €35 fine respectively.
As high season approaches and numbers of new cases creep up in France, this list is likely to grow, so check with local authorities in your town or keep an eye out for signs telling you that port du masque obligatore (wearing a mask is compulsory).
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