His Serene Highness Prince Albert told Monaco Matin on Monday morning that the Principality will treat any further victims of the coronavirus in Monaco, rather than send them to a hospital in Nice.
“The first thing to remember is that the spread of this virus is important… To limit this spread, in particular in a small country with a high population density like the Principality, where the movements of residents abroad are frequent, it is necessary to avoid the intermingling of people and, obviously, travel to risk areas.
“From the outset, the Government has made every effort to educate the public and take steps to stop the epidemic,” the Sovereign said, also adding praise for the medical teams at Princess Grace Hopsital.
“I must underline the excellent work of the staff of the CHPG and of all the health staff of the Principality. Everyone is strongly mobilised in Monaco. This is particularly evident in the fact that retired doctors have volunteered to help us. This will be all the more necessary since, a few hours ago, France asked us to prepare to keep patients with the coronavirus in the Principality, when the Nice University Hospital is no longer able to receive them.”
“The CHPG will not be able to accommodate all people affected by the coronavirus. Therefore, we are considering the possibility of hospitalisation at home, with visits by doctors to patients. This system will be implemented very soon. It will affect patients who, of course, do not have severe pulmonary symptoms. This will be in case of cough and fever. It is essential not to overwhelm the CHPG.”
Referring to large public events, the Prince said that those that take place largely outside, such as the Motor Show due to start later this week, should not be cancelled.
Prince Albert emphasised the importance of remaining calm in order to beat the virus: “Above all, you must not give in to panic… nor to excessive worry. The situation is completely unusual, it is true, we are directly affected and we will probably have other cases of infected people. This situation should be treated with all possible seriousness and all precautions should be taken. But it should not prevent us from continuing to live as normally as possible. This situation will last a few weeks or more… And I repeat, the government will continue to keep the people of Monaco informed, as often as possible and always with absolute transparency.
PHOTO: HSH Prince Albert Prince’s Palace
