National Council hold impromptu meeting to discuss coronavirus exit strategy

National Council

An impromptu meeting was held by the National Council on Wednesday 10 March. Speaking on behalf of the Princely Government, Pierre Dartout, Monaco’s Minister of State, announced three new measures to tackle the pandemic: extension of the furlough scheme, use of saliva tests and vaccines for 55-64 year olds.

Unable to wait until the Ordinary Spring Session in April, the National Council met this week to announce three new measures that will be put in place within the next few days. First on the agenda was the vaccination programme, as Pierre Dartout declared 5850 doses of the Pfizer vaccine will soon be arriving in Monaco. From the 11 March onwards, those aged 55-64 will be receiving their jab.

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“We are going to distribute them as quickly as possible,” declared the Minister of State, as he spoke about the vaccination campaign being a top priority in the exit strategy. As it stands, more than 22% of the Principality have been vaccinated.

Saliva tests available next week

Testing for the virus also remains a priority in the Principality and saliva tests will soon be used to increase screening capacity. As of Monday 15 March, these new saliva tests will be available at the Léo Ferré testing centre.

Painless and carried out in the same way as a PCR test, this test requires a quick swab of the mouth and will be used to test students for the virus in schools.

Furlough scheme extended until 30 June

Another measure announced by Pierre Dartout is the extension of the furlough scheme, as well as continued support for Carlo: a mobile app awarding users 5% cashback for every purchase made at a local store in the Principality.

President of the National Council, Stéphane Valeri, also announced that Monaco would continue to provide support to struggling sectors, on a case by case basis. The Council also hopes to reopen restaurants in the evenings and allow the return of sport as soon as possible.