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Covid 19 Speech of H.S.H. Prince Albert II regarding the lockdown

Dear Fellow Monegasques,

Dear Residents,

Dear Employees,

Our country is facing one of the worst public health crises in its History.

Well before the COVID-19 outbreak reached Europe, my Government and the State’s public services anticipated such circumstances. They took the necessary measures to deal with it.

We have been able to curb its propagation efficiently, but the epidemic, as in every other country in Europe, is threatening to spread in the Principality.

We are therefore now entering a containment phase, like neighbouring regions.

We are ready.

I have confidence in our healthcare system and its infrastructures, and especially in the women and men striving to achieve their work in difficult conditions.

I want to pay tribute to them. I want to express my heartfelt thanks, both personally and on behalf of the population, to all those working tirelessly in Monaco’s private and public healthcare system, fulfilling their missions under constant and growing pressure.

I know that you are experiencing difficult days and nights, in the general interest of our population.                                                 

I also want to pay tribute to the unswerving commitment shown by the Monaco City Hall, for its actions to help our elderly and our youngest children. The municipal services have rallied relentlessly to provide their neighbourhood services.

I also want to salute the commitment shown by the Monaco Red Cross and its volunteers, and by the associations. It is comforting to witness the genuine momentum of solidarity that has gathered spontaneously. In particular, the offers of mutual help published on the social networks.

We clearly recognise that this is a very unusual time.

It is essential to remember that the virus does not spread on its own. People’s movements are favouring its spread.                               

Today, the increasingly rampant progression of the epidemic requires us to take new actions, as numerous countries have decided, around the world, and in Europe in  particular.

I have therefore decided that new measures will apply, from midnight tonight, Tuesday 17 March, until further notice. 

The aim is to reduce contacts in the Principality of Monaco.

These measures are necessary, essential for combating this epidemic:

  • There will be no more non-essential business travel.

  • I strongly recommend working from home, something that has already been introduced widely by many employers. I encourage all employers to adopt this measure.

  • I ask you to limit your movements only to the strict essential requirements, namely food shopping and healthcare.

  • It is important, given the current situation, to limit contacts to the family home. I therefore ask you to postpone all group activities, whether indoors or outdoors.

  • I fully understand the constraints this entails, as relations with family and friends are all the more vital in these circumstances. However, our technological world offers many ways of communicating.

  • I have asked my Government to look at the specific issue of building works, in view of the need to comply with public health rules. Works must be halted.

The State’s public services will ensure that the measures and restrictions taken are enforced.

I would now like to say a word about the toll on our economy, now and in  the future.

I want to say to all entrepreneurs, employers, employees, that my Government will be at their side, to ensure that the economic impact is as limited as possible.

Support measures have already been announced. Others are being looked at. I call upon my Government to maintain dialogue and consultation with the different economic stakeholders.

Similarly, provisions to help employees in the public and private sector have been put in place, to minimise the damaging effects of this crisis.

Some measures will require the support of the National Council and its elected representatives, and I know I can count on their sense of accountability.

Emerging from this health crisis will depend on our ability to comply with the measures as adopted.

I appeal to your sense of civic responsibility, and call upon you to show solidarity in your behaviour: we all know that there is no shortage of food in Monaco.

Taking care of yourself, means taking care of others too.

I am confident in the future. I am confident in the solidity of our healthcare infrastructures.

I know that my country can rely on its History, its Institutions and the solidity of its economic and social model.

Deo Juvante!

Together, we will overcome this ordeal, and emerge stronger.

You can find the full video message by H.S.H. Prince Albert II on the Facebook page of the Palace of Monaco:

https://fr-fr.facebook.com/palaismonaco/videos/145277026784775/

Covid 19 Speech of H.S.H. Prince Albert II regarding the lockdown