Nice mayor calls for weekend lockdown to slow soaring Covid infections

The mayor of the south-eastern city of Nice has called for tourists to stay away and urged a weekend lockdown amid the highest Covid-19 infection rates in France.

Sunning on the Promenade des Anglais: Right-wing Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi wants a weekend lockdown Valery HACHE AFP

“We need strong measures that go beyond the nationwide 6pm curfew, either a tighter curfew, or a partial and time-specific lockdown. A weekend lockdown would make sense,” Christian Estrosi told Franceinfo radio.

According to the tracking website covidtracker.fr, Nice has registered 740 new cases per week per 100,000 residents.

“The weather is nice, everybody rushes to come here. A weekend lockdown would put a stop to that, without halting economic activity in the city,” said Estrosi.

Health Minister Olivier Véran said on Saturday the government would decide this weekend on whether to tighten measures.

The government imposed curfews in some cities throughout the country and closed restaurants in the southern port city of Marseille before the second lockdown in November, but has held off on imposing a national confinement.

Hotel owners, who have been forced to close due to Covid-19 measures, were angry earlier this month when Nice mayor Estrosi suggested greater city-wide measures to control the spread of the virus.

"La Fédération de l’#Hôtellerie, de la #restauration et du #tourisme Nice Côte d’Azur s’insurge contre la décision du tribunal administratif qui a invalidé l’arrêté municipal ..."

▶ @CNEWS_Azur | #Locations #Nice #Nice06 #Vacances
▶ https://t.co/4BWcfhSqJd pic.twitter.com/zeoEyMO7lA

— NiceRendezVous © ❤ #nice06 (@nicerendezvous) February 10, 2021

Estrosi said the increased flow of tourists during the Christmas holiday period led to the spike in new infections. 

“We will be happy to receive lots of tourists this summer, once we win this battle," said the Nice mayor. "But it is better to have a period where we say, ‘Do not come', in order to protect the people of Nice, which is my priority,” said Estrosi.