I do it my way

Living through a pandemic

in the south of France

479 days in Carcassonne since

1st lockdown in March 2020

DAILY STATISTICS HERE

▫️ ALLOCUTION FROM M. E MACRON ON JULY 12th

✏️ M. E MACRON

There were 2 main parts, a health section and a financial section. Here is a summary of the first part.

THE HEALTH SECTION

The President of the Republic gave a solemn address from the “Grand Palais Éphémère” on Monday evening to unveil new measures to combat the fourth wave.

• A “strong resumption” of the epidemic accentuated by the Delta variant

“A strong resumption of the epidemic which affects the whole territory”. Faced with the spread of the Delta variant, Emmanuel Macron warned of the “difficulties” that threaten. “As long as the virus circulates, we will be faced with this type of situation,” he said, calling for massive recourse to vaccination.

• The “health pass” extended in August to bars, restaurants, trains, planes, hospitals and retirement homes

The health pass will be compulsory for over 12s in “leisure and cultural venues” with more than 50 people from 21 July. It will then be extended from the beginning of August, and will cover trains, planes, bars and restaurants, as well as hospitals, retirement homes and medical and social establishments. This list could be extended later, said Emmanuel Macron. In concrete terms, access to these places will be reserved for people who have been vaccinated for more than a fortnight, or for those who have carried out a recent negative PCR or antigenic test.

• Compulsory vaccination of health care workers and non-health care workers in health care institutions, checks from 15 September

A bill to make vaccination of health care workers compulsory will be sent to the Council of State on Tuesday, before being presented to the Council of Ministers on Monday 19 July. It will then be examined next week by parliament under an accelerated procedure. This measure will apply “without delay”, and those concerned will have “until 15 September” to comply with it. After that, “controls will be carried out and sanctions will be imposed”.

-“Putting restrictions on the unvaccinated rather than on everyone

The daily lives of the “vaccinated” and the “non-vaccinated” will no longer be the same. The philosophy is simple: “Recognise civic-mindedness and put restrictions on the unvaccinated rather than on everyone”.

 – So-called “comfort” PCR tests no longer free of charge this autumn

From October, the French will no longer be able to benefit from free PCR tests without a prescription, known as “comfort tests”. This is intended to “encourage vaccination rather than the multiplication of tests”.

• Local restrictions may be decided by prefects in case of incidence rates above 200

Territorial restrictions could be decided according to local situations. In departments “which exceed an incidence rate of 200 and see an increase in hospitalisation”, “braking measures may be taken by our prefects”.

 – The epidemic will be with us “for several more months of the year 2022”.

The strategy of “living with the virus” continues. According to Emmanuel Macron, the epidemic will be present “throughout this year 2021 and probably for several more months in 2022”. “The coming weeks” will be “those of mobilisation to block the virus”, he warned.

• Vaccination campaigns for secondary school pupils and students at the beginning of the school year

From the start of the next school year, “specific” vaccination campaigns will be deployed for all secondary school pupils and students in the country. The latter were the ones most affected by the previous phases.

• A booster campaign “after” the holidays for the categories vaccinated at the beginning of 2021

The first categories of the population to have benefited from the vaccine, at the beginning of 2021, will be eligible “from the beginning of the school year” for a booster campaign. This will enable them to receive a new injection “according to the same system and under the same conditions as the first one or ones”.

• Stronger border controls, forced isolation of unvaccinated travellers

People coming from “at risk” countries will be subject to reinforced controls, said Emmanuel Macron. Compulsory isolation will also be imposed on all unvaccinated travellers from 21 July.

 – State of health emergency declared again in Reunion and Martinique

The state of health emergency will be declared on Tuesday by the Council of Ministers for Martinique and Reunion. A curfew will be introduced in these two overseas territories.

Living through a pandemic

in the south of France

479 days in Carcassonne since

1st lockdown in March 2020

DAILY STATISTICS HERE

▫️ FROM THE HOSPITAL MOBILE NEWS DESK

✏️ M. E MACRON

I watched the allocution from the president last night. Quite a few important announcements as well as what could be seen as the start of the election campaign. Quite a lot to absorb which I am not in a position to do right now but will hopefully do tomorrow evening.

✏️ Summer ruined?
We thought we would at least have a quiet summer. Not so. The respite was short-lived. Only two months after the start of the containment, there is once again an emergency. The signs of an epidemic resumption are quite clear. The number of cases is on the rise again and the number of outbreaks is increasing. Only the hospital is still safe. But for how long? Olivier Véran, the Minister of Health, acknowledged it yesterday: “We are at the start of something that looks like an epidemic wave. The cause of these new contaminations is well identified: the Delta variant, 40% more contagious than the Alpha mutant. As a result, Emmanuel Macron will have to speak again tonight at 8pm. Again. It will be his eighth speech since the beginning of the Covid epidemic. The President may be forced to take new restrictions to avoid a repeat of last year’s scenario. At the very least, he should announce mandatory vaccination for health care workers and the extension of the health pass. Will this be enough to stop the spread of the virus? While the time is ripe for relaxation and vaccination coverage remains very imperfect, it will be difficult to curb the progression of this strain without energetic measures.

© Le Parisien (Joffrey Vovos) – Translation © J²S

✏️ 3 departments in Occitania turn red

In the Occitanie region, these three departments have seen their incidence rate exceed the alert threshold set at 50 positive cases per 100,000 inhabitants.

The Pyrénées-Orientales now has an incidence rate above 100 positive cases per 100,000 inhabitants, by far the highest rate since the Hérault is at 50.6 and the Haute-Garonne at 57.5. These three departments are among the seven in France to have already exceeded this alert threshold.

Guillaume Crozier, the young Frenchman who created the Covid Tracker tool, even asked publicly on his Twitter account: “What’s going on in the Pyrénées-Orientales (Occitanie), the number of new cases has increased sevenfold in one week, a growth rate of 600% compared to 60% in France. According to our colleagues in Midi Libre, the epidemic situation has also deteriorated very quickly in the Hérault: “The progression is of the order of 158% in one week. The city of Montpellier (shows) 70.6”.

In neighbouring Catalonia, the number of new positive cases is breaking records every week: 4,655 on 24 June, 23,228 on 1 July, 42,604 on 8 July. Hospital admissions rose from 476 to 728 in one week. Only the reproduction rate of the virus, the famous “R”, seems to have slowed down, from 3.06 on 1 July to 1.93 on 8 July. This lull is likely to be temporary, given the high contagiousness of the Delta variant. The Catalan epidemic situation may partly explain the epidemic jump in the border Pyrenees-Orientales, as there are many return trips between the Pyrenees-Orientales and Catalonia during the holiday period.

© L’Independant (Frédérique Michalak)- Translation © J²S

▫️  SATIRE

▫️ TRAVEL NEWS

There are new items on the Travel Page.

▫️ CLIMATE

Chicago soon to be engulfed?

While New York is facing heavy flooding, Chicago is also, more than ever, endangered by rising waters. Bordered by the Mississippi River and Lake Michigan, the city is prey to flooding that threatens its urban development, explains the “New York Times”.

Chicago was built in the heart of the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River basin, trying to control the swamp on which it was built. “For generations, daring engineering projects have struggled to maintain a perilous balance, keeping the water in its place, neither too high nor too low,” the New York Times reports. The newspaper explains how, in recent years, the country’s third largest city and its 9.5 million inhabitants (in the metropolitan area) have seen their situation endangered by the climate crisis.

At first glance, the city seems rather untouched, far from the Californian droughts and threatening oceans. But Lake Michigan is gradually encroaching on the city’s shores and posing a serious threat to neighbouring buildings. “It’s an existential problem for these neighbourhoods and ultimately for the city,” laments Josh Ellis, an 87-year-old Chicagoan and former vice president of the Metropolitan Council.

Abrupt changes
In recent years, there has been one sudden drought and one sudden rise in water levels after another, leaving residents with little respite. “In just seven years, Lake Michigan has moved more than two metres. It’s an ominous sign that the inland sea, which has been attached to its historic shoreline for centuries, is starting to get restless,” the New York daily lamented.
The Chicago authorities are doing their best to prepare for these brutal changes linked to global warming, while knowing “that they will pay a heavy price”.

© Les Echos – Marion Torquebiau © Translation J²S

▫️   MUSIC – Some of the best albums of 1969

▫️ NEWS FROM ACROSS THE POND 🇺🇸

Some more gems from crazy USA

▫️  ADDITIONAL READS FOR TODAY

✏️ How your DNA might make you more susceptible to COVID-19 

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✏️ Giant pandas are no longer endangered, China says 

Living through a pandemic

in the south of France

476 days in Carcassonne since

1st lockdown in March 2020

DAILY STATISTICS HERE

▫️ MOBILE NEWS DESK

✏️ Yes, the highly contagious delta variant will be responsible for more than half of the new contaminations as of this weekend. Olivier Véran, the Minister of Health, said so yesterday. This is obviously not good news, given its high transmissibility. And the fourth wave now promises to be inevitable. However, there is definitely reason not to give in to despondency. Let’s just not forget the essential barrier gestures, even if we go on vacation today. In some cities, such as Saint Malo or Nice, masks are back outside. Hand washing or hydroalcoholic gel must remain a habit. Above all, it was not the case last year, you can be vaccinated! And it is much easier today to get an appointment. To be injected with a second dose, for example, at your holiday destination is now possible and encouraged.

✏️ “Getting vaccinated is a small step for you, but a big step for herd immunity.” Olivier Veran.

▫️ GADGET

BMW’S FUTURISTIC ELECTRIC SCOOTER IS STRAIGHT OUT OF ANIME When we saw BMW’s CE 04 electric scooter concept last year, it looked like something pulled straight out of a science-fiction film. Now the company has unveiled the final consumer version of the CE 04, and while it’s lost a bit of the fantastical edge, it still looks like a vehicle that would be right at home in Akira or Ghost in the Shell. Aimed at the urban commuter, the CE 04 features a 10.25-inch LCD screen (that’s bigger than what’s in most cars!), up to 81 miles of range, and a top speed of 75mph.

▫️  QUOTE

“We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort.” — Jesse Owens

▫️ TRAVEL NEWS

No new items on the Travel Page.

This is the official government page (in French 🇫🇷) regarding the current rules for travelling abroad (in & out). It is expected that some of these rules will change, for the worse, this coming Monday.

No new items on the Travel Page

▫️   MUSIC

Epic bands, epic haircuts

▫️  THE FABULOUS FRIDAY (FUNNIES) GROANS from Paul

🔹 Two short jokes  to start off…

✒︎ On the wall in the women’s change rooms: My husband follows me every where.
Written underneath:  ” I do not.”


✒︎ On a busy Saturday morning a young boy was lost in the shopping centre.
He told a police officer, “I’ve lost my dad.”
“What’s he like?” the cop asked.
“Football and beer,” the kid replied.

🔹 A site foreman had 10 very lazy men working for him, so one day he decided to trick them into doing some work for a change.
“I’ve got a really easy job for the laziest one among you,” he announced. “Will the laziest man please put his hand up?”
Nine hands went up.
“Why didn’t you put your hand up,” he asked the tenth man.
“Too much effort,” came the reply.

✒︎ You do not need a parachute to skydive. You only need a parachute to skydive twice.

✒︎ You’re driving a car. It isn’t a telephone booth, a beauty parlor or a restaurant.

✒︎ A conscience is what hurts when all your other parts feel so good.

✒︎ If you want the rainbow, you have got to put up with the rain.

✒︎ All those who believe in psycho kinesis, raise my hand.

✒︎ I almost had a psychic girlfriend…. but she left me before we met.

✒︎ A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.



🔹 An oldie…

An English man, Irishman and a Scotsman were drinking at a bar.

Suddenly, the Scotsman says, “As good as this bar is, I still prefer the pubs
back home.

In Glasgow, there’s a wee place.

The landlord goes out of his way for the locals.

When you buy four drinks, he’ll buy the fifth drink.”

“Well,” said the Englishman, “At my local in London , the barman
will buy you your third drink after you buy the first two.”

“Ahhh, dat’s nothin’,” said the Irishman, “back home in my favourite pub,
the moment you set foot in the place, they’ll buy you a drink, then
another, all the drinks you like, actually.

Then, when you’ve had enough drinks, they’ll take you upstairs and see
that you gets laid, all on the house!”

The Englishman and Scotsman were suspicious of the claims.

The Irishman swore every word was true.

Then the Englishman asked, “Did this actually happen to you?”

“Not to me, personally, no,” admitted the Irishman, “but it did happen
to me sister quite a few times.”



🔹 A radio DJ was introducing a record. “This next one,” he said, “is for Charlotte Burke, 

who is a hundred and eleven. 

Hey, Charlotte, congratulations on a ripe old age!”

There was a short pause and then the DJ said in a somewhat
more subdued voice, “I’m sorry, I got it wrong. This next
one is for Charlotte Burke, who is ill.”


🔹 Teen Joke

I went to the cinema the other day and in the front row was an old man and with him 

was his dog. It was a sad funny kind of film, you know the type. In the sad part, the 

dog cried his eyes out, and in the funny part, the dog laughed its head off. 

 This happened all the way through the film. 

 After the film had ended, I decided to go and speak to the man.

“That’s the most amazing thing I’ve seen,” I said. “That dog really seemed to enjoy the film.”

The man turned to me and said, “Yeah, it is. He hated the book.”


🔹 I read this article that said the typical symptoms of stress are eating too much, 

impulse buying, and driving too fast. Are they kidding? That’s my idea of a perfect day.


The nice part about living in a small town: When you don’t know what you’re doing, 

someone else always does.


🔹 A man owned a small farm in Queensland. The Government Industrial Inspector 

claimed he was not paying proper wages to his help and sent an agent to interview him. 

“You just give me a list of your employees and tell me how much you pay them.”

“All right,” said the farmer. “I have a hired man. Been with me for three years. 

I pay him $600 a week, plus room and board. I have a cook. She’s been here six months. 

She gets $500 a week plus room and board.”

“Anybody else?” asked the agent as he scribbled on a note pad.

“Yeah,” the farmer said. “There’s a half wit here. Works about eighteen hours a day. I pay him ten dollars a week and give him some tobacco.”

“Aha!” the agent roared. “I want to talk to that half-wit!”

“You’re talkin’ to him now,” said the farmer.


🔹 Some interesting observations from Alan…

✒︎ You cannot tell which way the train went by looking at the track.

✒︎ There is absolutely no substitute for genuine lack of preparation.

✒︎ Nostalgia isn’t what it used to be.

✒︎ The facts, though interesting, are irrelevant.

✒︎ Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler.

✒︎ Friends may come and go, but enemies accumulate.

✒︎ I have seen the truth and it makes no sense.

✒︎ One-seventh of your life is spent on Friday.

✒︎ By the time you can make ends meet, they move the ends.

✒︎ There is always one more imbecile than you counted on.

✒︎Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level then beat you with experience.

✒︎ For every complex problem there is always a simple solution – and it is always wrong.


🔹 More short humour …

✒︎ I was born male, I identify as male, but according to Sainsbury’s deluxe
sticky toffee pudding I am actually a family of four.


✒︎ My mate had a business growing Bonsai trees. It’s going so well that
he is looking for smaller premises.


✒︎ It was nice to see so many new faces at the annual plastic surgery convention.


✒︎ When I went for my second jab the nurse said, “I see you have an iron deficiency.”
I said “how can you tell?”  She said, “Your shirt’s really creased.”
                                                  

See you in the soup.

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