The National Council has asked the Government for more information concerning aspects of the coronavirus epidemic.

President Stéphane Valeri, Vice-President Brigitte Boccone-Pagès and Dr Christophe Robino, President of the Commission for Social Interests and Miscellaneous Affairs, sent the letter to Didier Gamerdinger, Minister of Health and Social Affairs, on Wednesday, March 25, “in order to obtain clear and precise information on various subjects of importance for the population.”

The letter aims to better prepare for the future meeting of the Monitoring Committee between the Government and the elected National Council, requested by the Sovereign Prince, as part of the concerted analysis of the crisis, the National Council said.

Firstly, the letter asks the Minister to provide all the necessary details concerning the shortage of masks in the Principality: “Priority must obviously be placed on the needs of all caregivers. But we must also think of providing for the needs of city medical workrs, carers, public security agents, and any other profession likely to be in contact with the public. There was clearly a lack of anticipation in this area, without an autonomous strategy for the Principality. We ask for clear, precise information with verifiable quantities and distribution dates.”

Furthermore, the National Council expressed its regret that the screening strategy is not more proactive. In Monaco, where health is a centre of excellence, it is unfortunate that the screening policy is not ahead of schedule. The WHO recommends in fact to screen as much as possible, as was the case in South Korea, or as the president of the Nice metropolitan area advocates. The testing policy remains for the National Council an open question. Again, elected officials request clear and precise information.

Finally, the National Council requests that the “next move” be anticipated in terms of patients’ reception capacity. In the event of saturation of the coronavirus specialised beds, provision must be made for an additional operational arrangement in adaptable building, the Council said.

“We can no longer reason during the week or even during the day. Every hour counts to stop the pandemic and to find courageous and effective solutions, with as much autonomy as possible,” the National Council wrote.

ORIGINAL SOURCE: National Council