The sanitary, economic and political crisis that the Covid-19 pandemic has brought about is one of the worst we have seen in decades. But it is a shared reality, and a calamity that has affected us all in one way or another.

Such pandemics are not confined to specific territories, and so dealing with it requires a holistic and global approach.

In the face of the Covid-19, ordinary people are helpless and all they can do is ask if those in authority are capable of dealing with it and whether they are doing enough.

Across the world, many heads of state have been in practically a hand-to-hand struggle with managing the pandemic which has swept across the entire globe.

Unfortunately, there have not been many world leaders who managed to exercise the necessary influence and to provide global direction.

In the not so distant past, the world looked to American leadership whenever it faced a crisis. But, in the face of the onslaught of the Covid-19, many other countries did far better at containing the virus than the United States.

In some of the smallest European countries, their leaders have shown the example in how this pandemic can be combatted when the advantage of having a small population and efficient health services are fully taken into account.

At just over 2 square kilometres, the Principality of Monaco is the second smallest independent state after the Vatican. And yet, with a population of under 40 000, it is the most densely populated country in the world.

The virus was confirmed to have reached Monaco at the end of February 2020 when a male patient was admitted to the Princess Grace Hospital.

The Principality found itself confronted with a sanitary situation that required calm, reasoned, science-based responses.

And on March 14, it launched its action plan.

Schools, nurseries, restaurants, casinos, cafes, theatres, cinemas and nightclubs were swiftly closed and three days later, Prince Albert II in a solemn address to the nation, announced the strengthening of the measures that had to be taken by the government.

A series of sweeping measures were announced, including the cancellation, for the first time since 1954, of the legendary Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix. Many other high-profile events that are all crucial to the financial health of the Principality were also either cancelled or in some cases, rescheduled.

In response to a proposal by the National Council which is in effect the Parliament of the Principality of Monaco, HSH Prince Albert II endorsed a proposal to set up a joint monitoring committee for the Covid-19, to be chaired by Serge Telle, the Head of the Government (Minister of State), with joint representation from the Government and National Council (Parliament), presided by Stéphane Valeri.

As a result, the National Council would be able to make any proposal it deemed necessary in order to help combat the pandemic and its effects in every domain.

Plans from the outset, included provisions for face masks for all the population, in addition to health workers in the front lines providing vital services, as well as for the police and other emergency services.

Then, there were plans for providing Covid-19 testing for the entire population.

There were two tests envisaged for every resident, including the thousands of salaried workers, mainly from France and Italy who come to work in Monaco daily. Their numbers are estimated at 25,000 and 4,000 respectively.

The first test by fingerstick detects infection in a patient, and the second ensures any negative results obtained in the first test are correct. This required the purchase of some 200,000 test kits. 

In order that access to Monaco’s pharmacies and supermarkets remained limited to residents and neighbouring communities, the National Council also called for strict control of borders as well as the rapid injection of funds, to the tune of an initial 50 million euros into the national economy, to help companies and their employees weather the crisis.

Plans were also drawn up to bring in legislation that would prohibit the dismissal of salaried workers during the crisis. Support measures were put in place for temporary unemployment, in order to alleviate the precarious situation of employers.

There were also calls for private landlords to be more flexible with tenants whose businesses were struggling financially. It was recommended that rents be lowered and that landlords would accept to be paid in instalments. As for commercial tenants whose incomes risked becoming practically non-existent, the State would subsidise part of their monthly rent. The government decided to continue paying out monthly bonuses amounting to 1000 euros for all those working on the front line of public services, which of course includes health workers. Starting March 2020, most of small and medium enterprises received a € 5.000 monthly subsidy. Moreover, a measure was set in place whereby the State granted preferential interest rates for loans taken out with lending institutions in the Principality in order to help businesses in Monaco.

Monaco’s annual budget was also adjusted, and provisions made for tapping into the Special Reserve enshrined in the Constitution. This was necessary in order to deal with loss of revenues and increasing expenses in dealing with the crisis, estimated to amount to hundreds of millions of euros.

Planning ahead for lockdown

In early April, one of the very first measures was to get the Princess Grace Hospital in an advanced state of readiness for the anticipated peak of the Covid-19.

Other than the available beds for recovery and resuscitation, there were plans for a contingency wing with extra beds, as well as the use of other medical facilities such as the Sports Medicine and the Cardiac-Thoracic Centres. Protective equipment, including 100,000 face masks were rapidly made available.

The Monaco Red Cross stepped in early on with reserves of volunteers and staff.

Actions carried out by the MRC, particularly in terms of logistics, included working in coordination with the City Hall to deliver meals to people at home. The organisation also ran errands for food, medication and other essentials for people in difficult situations.

The setting up of a call centre by the Red Cross was also a very welcome initiative.

The centre is managed by the Department of Social Affairs and MRC staff are on standby to answer calls. This service has effectively reduced the workload of Red Cross personnel which may be needed elsewhere.

The call centre works alongside the home medical monitoring centre, both of which are well-equipped to manage the current situation.

The Secretary General of the Monaco Red Cross, Frédéric Platini added: « We can relay to doctor’s information about whether a patient needs to be hospitalised or not. We have set up an anonymous helpline which allows people to speak to Red Cross volunteers who are trained in providing support for people in psychological distress. If necessary, we can forward calls to psychologists and professionals.

The MRC has also helped the state supply face masks. Some 200,000 were brought to Monaco and distributed to health professionals as well as the general population.

This of course makes for additional expenses, but it is more or less made up by the ever-increasing donations.

On this aspect of things, Secretary General Platini said: « Our regular donors haven’t failed to rise to the occasion. Some businesses that were not on our radar before have now also been a great help. We are working with some sporting associations. All the economic players in Monaco are mobilising with us. I can only ask that this effort continues and that it moves in this direction because the crisis isn’t just a health one; it is economic too. It makes us deal with all social sectors ».

The Monaco Red Cross is now also looking at whatever can be carried out in addition to what it has already put in place, including any possible side missions that the Covid-19 is causing.

The human factor

The issue of coronavirus is very close to Princess Charlene of Monaco’s heart, after her own husband, the reigning Prince Albert II had to quarantine after contracting the disease in March. 

The diagnosis which took place nine days after he had attended a WaterAid charity event in London with Prince Charles made him the first known head of state to be infected with the virus.

However, the Palace issued a statement saying that the Prince was in good health and that he was being monitored by specialists at the Princess Grace Hospital. He had continued to work from his private apartments and had fully recovered by the beginning of April.

In the meantime, Princess Charlene who is one of the International Automobile Federation’s 18 ambassadors for road safety, joined other ambassadors including world famous actors, actresses and sports personalities in a video, urging people to stay at home during the lockdown in order to limit the spread of the virus. 

Among the other ambassadors are Formula 1 drivers Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa, tennis star Rafael Nadal, actor Michael Fassbender and singer Pharrel Williams.

The FIA’s #3500LIVES campaign was created in 2017 and it takes its name from the 3,500 road deaths across the world each year. 

The official campaign poster reads : ‘As #3500LIVES’ road safety ambassadors to save lives, we follow the rules on the road and now in our homes. STAY SAFE. STAY HOME. STAY COMMITTED’.

Princess Charlene joined the campaign in 2019 together with Formula 1 racing driver Charles Leclerc who is a native of Monaco and who assisted the Princess in promoting her face mask initiative, as well as racing online to raise funds for the World Health Organization’s Covid-19 Response Fund.

And Leclerc’s volunteering didn’t stop there. He came out into the streets of Monaco…not in his usual 280 Km per hour Formula 1 Ferrari and helmet, but in a Red Cross van and a mask, driving at 30 Km per hour to deliver meals, groceries and other essentials to the elderly and other residents unable to leave their homes.

He also assisted the Monaco Red Cross in delivering medical equipment and other items to the Princess Grace Hospital.

Notwithstanding these initiatives, Princess Charlene seems to have expected yet more commitment and so, decided to draw upon all close and distant skills available.

Her own foundation was set up with a mission to promote the benefits of sporting activities; to teach children and adults basic swimming, water safety, first-aid and drowning prevention skills, and foster national and international amateur sports competitions.

And she has fully committed the Princess Charlene Foundation to the fight against the current pandemic by, among other initiatives having 5,000 reusable face masks manufactured by SCICON Sports, one of its Italian partners, to be distributed free of charge to the population as well as to businesses and organisations of the Principality.

To this end, Princess Charlene’s brother, Gareth Wittstock who is also Secretary General of the foundation took charge of handing them out to Monaco residents starting in mid-April, to limit the spread of the virus.

Together with volunteers and other Foundation Ambassadors such as Formula 1 driver Charles Leclerc and world champion free diver Pierre Frolla, he distributed masks at the Condamine market, Fontvieille Shopping Centre and food-related outlets with the blessing of and help from the City Council.

They reminded the public that wearing a mask was no substitute for respecting the rules of lockdown and stressed that despite the added protection, social distancing must still be complied with.

And even the Mayor of Monaco, Georges Marsan participated, handing out the masks at various points around the city and organising free distributions of masks to the entire population. .

The high-quality masks made of a high-performance fabric feature the #strongtogether slogan which has been regularly promoted by both the Princess and HSH Prince Albert II throughout the health crisis.

At first glance, these actions may seem trivial but their effects on the morale of a population in times of crisis can be quite significant.

In crisis management throughout the world and over the centuries, public morale has often played an important role in the final outcome of wars, disasters and tragedies of every kind.

As has become apparent following the Covid-19 pandemic, not all governments have fully understood the functioning of this important human aspect of crisis management.

Lifting lockdown

Thanks largely to the strict measures taken at the outset of the epidemic and the ensuing confinement protocol, Monaco began to slowly reawaken from its lockdown slumber at the beginning of May 2020.

Mid-June saw the end of the screening campaign that had been put in place for the previous four weeks for testing for the Covid-19. Nearly 90,000 people were potentially concerned by the test which was carried out on a voluntary basis and completely free of charge.

Nearly 35,000 people were screened, including some 14,000 non-resident workers who travelled to Monaco for the test.

Ludmilla Raconnat Le Goff, Secretary General of the Department of Social Affairs and Health expressed her satisfaction that the process had gone ahead smoothly and had reassured the population : « It’s satisfying to see the numbers who came for the test ; all the more since they all felt great relief afterwards » she said.

After the final results were compiled, there were just under 3% of positive but asymptomatic cases reported by the medical teams. This result corresponds very closely to the projections made by specialists at the outset of the screening campaign, which also confirms that the virus was largely impeded in its circulation in the Principality.

Ludmilla Raconnat Le Goff added : « Other than that of reassuring the population, another important objective of the testing campaign was to draw up a map of the serological status of the population in order to assess the situation much more precisely and to allow for active monitoring of patients in case of a fresh outbreak ».

In spite of the positive results obtained from the screening campaign, the Government wants to go even further.

In order to allow those residents and workers who for any reason, did not come to be tested, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health announced that it was extending the screening for another month, with weekly sessions until mid-August.

With an upsurge of contaminations in certain areas of the world and the possible repercussions in other countries, the Principality remains especially wary.

Didier Gamerdinger, Minister of Social Affairs and Health insists the Principality must not lower its guard on the issue of Covid-19 : « A number of countries such as China, South Korea and Israel have experienced an upsurge in infection rates. Their sanitary structures are solid and they are able to deal with this. But it all goes to show that a resurgence is always possible. Monaco is open to the world and is therefore not immune to an upsurge of the virus. We must be ready ».

The Principality has initiated the second phase of the release from lockdown, but the crisis has not only had sanitary but also profound economic and social consequences.

Some of these problems had been anticipated by the Government early on, and certain remedies had been advocated.

Looking back at the three months of anguish and uncertainty, Stéphane Valeri, President of the National Council takes stock of the role of the body he presides over : « To be perfectly frank, I must confess that when the virus began to spread in China, we Europeans were not psychologically prepared for a pandemic that would hit us full force. However, as soon as the first deaths in Italy were confirmed, I realised that our country will have to go on a war footing, with emergency action plans ».

Stéphane Valeri is quite aware of the extent of the damage inflicted on the national economy and that the prospects of an upturn will depend on international parameters that are as yet unclear.

Many sectors that have been badly hit are the backbone of Monaco’s economy, such as tourism, event-driven programming, and hotel and restaurant businesses.

But the President of the National Council is also a realist and optimist : « And yet, our economic model which is the envy of all and which has proved itself time and again, will allow us to not only overcome this crisis, thanks notably to the Constitutional Reserve Fund (FRC), but also to productive investments by the State. If ever there is a deficit in the budget of the Principality, I would take that as good news…it would mean that the authorities are doing the right thing! »

The Constitutional Reserve Fund is the financial aid package that has been set aside by the Government to help enterprises and their employees during the crisis. Plans were initially made for this aid to be paid out for three months, until the end of June 2020.

But now, a new phase in this action plan has been initiated by the government, with the setting up of a special commission that will oversee the economic recovery.

Jean Castellini, the Minister of Finance and of the Economy elaborated on some aspects of this plan: « The aim is to continue to provide aid to those enterprises that are particularly vulnerable, but in a more structured and targeted manner. This aid will also take on a more personalised form that will allow for specific advice from expert banking professionals and accountancy firms ».

Monaco comes alive again

June 2, 2020 was an important day for Monaco. It represented the beginning of life as Monegasque and foreign tourists knew it before the onset of the pandemic.

The completely redesigned Place du Casino was inaugurated in the presence of HSH Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene, as well as other members of the Princely family and various government officials.

This event was made to coincide with the reopening of the Brasserie of the Café de Paris with its new, enlarged terrace and marked the start of the calendar of the resumption to an almost normal activity for the Société des Bains de Mer’s (SBM) establishments.

Jean-Luc Biamonti, the Deputy President of the SBM first paid tribute to medical staff and health workers who were involved on the front line in the management of the Covid-19 crisis and also praised the government for its actions : « The Government of Monaco has managed the situation particularly well, and as a result, the Principality has been much less affected than its two larger neighbours. We are feeling more than proud; it is with great relief that we are gradually re-opening our establishments. We worked very hard for this ».

Probably the most iconic venue in Monaco, the Casino de Monte Carlo is now up and running. Together with the Casino Café de Paris, they began welcoming players back starting June 5.

As health and safety remain the top priorities, clients are required to lower their masks for a security check at the entrance and they will then follow a specially designed route through the gaming rooms, tables and slot machines. To ensure adequate social distancing, the number of players allowed inside is limited. Chips, plaques, dice, slot machines and gaming tables are disinfected at regular intervals.

Another event indicating a return to normality was the first traditional Changing of the Guard since the beginning of lockdown, at the Princely Palace.

The ceremony, which is very popular with locals and tourists alike, takes place every day at 11 :55 am and for the occasion, HSH Prince Albert assisted from a window of the Palace.

But visitors can once again attend the ceremony on condition of wearing a face mask and respecting the compulsory social distancing rules.

If the efficiency of the Monaco government’s contingency plans of the past three months, together with the net results in terms of infection rates, hospitalisations and economic revival are anything to go by, then one of the most exclusive destinations in the world has also turned out one of the safest.

Trajan Dereville

Click here to read the 2020 July edition of Europe Diplomatic Magazine