The Chamonix municipality, just like the rest of the world, is heavily affected by the coronavirus COVID-19 crisis.
While the ski facilities and many other businesses have closed and the number of infected people keeps rising, the municipality of Chamonix-Mont-Blanc works hard to manage the crisis & help its residents.
The fact is, without succumbing to panic, that the coronavirus COVID-19 is present in the Chamonix valley and it is rampant.
The gendarmes and the policemen have started patrolling the streets and are very strict with offenders. "We have established "turns" in the municipal police or in the gendarmerie, so that we are segmented into teams, in order to seal off groups", explains the newly re-elected mayor, Éric Fournier.
And just like everywhere else, in Chamonix, elected officials do not escape the coronavirus COVID-19. Three of them are almost certainly affected, two others show symptoms. Difficult to make a definitive statement, since screening is not systematic.
Crisis management meetings
The crisis management unit meets as much as necessary. The actors are members of the health staff, such as the Pays du Mont-Blanc hospitals or general practitioners, and representatives of the police and other concerned municipal departments.
“We apply crisis management reflexes. We rely on a PCS (editor's note: Municipal Backup plan, from the French Plan communal de sauvegarde) that exists, but you have to keep a lot of humility and keep working", said the mayor.
Moreover, the Chamonix emergency services had been closed on 17 March 2020, to assign the medical staff at the Sallanches Hospital, where they can fight against the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic.
The town hall regularly updates their FAQ section to answer all questions
On their website, www.chamonix.fr, the municipality of Chamonix answers questions on a daily basis.
Is the meal delivery system maintained?
Yes, meals are carried for the beneficiaries and the elders in the conviviality room. The meal delivery service can be launched for new beneficiaries as soon as the need arises. The central kitchen and three delivery teams are mobilized to meet the needs.
Are there transport possibilities for the elderly?
Bus lines 1 and 2 operate at the rate of one shuttle per hour and the Mulet every 20 minutes.
Transport on demand (for medical appointments for example), has been operational since Saturday 21, provided by Chamonix Bus.
The service is available Monday to Saturday from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
The transport is individual, only one passenger at a time. It is provided by a minibus accessible to people with reduced mobility.
The transport request must be made 2 hours in advance by phone at 04 50 93 07 87 from Monday to Friday and at 04 50 53 48 38 on Saturday.
Childcare (0-3 years)
Babysitters are only insured for caregivers, pharmacists and those working in-home help.
t is necessary to make yourself known to the city services to organize the reception of children in a nursery.
Education / Youth
Since 23 March 2020, France 4 has been modifying all of its daytime programmings to broadcast live lessons given by National Education teachers.
The course schedule: 9 am to 10 am for CP-CE1 with 30 minutes of reading and 30 minutes of math; 10 am to 11 am educational and educational programs for preschoolers; 1:30 to 2 p.m. It's still not rocket science, especially for 8-12-year-olds; 2 to 3 p.m. for college students with 30 minutes of French and 30 minutes of Math; 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. for high school students (especially the first and final years) with 1 hour of French, math, history-geography, English or philosophy; 4 p.m. - 4:50 p.m., the Lumni house for ages 8-12 and more specifically for CM1 - CM2.
Unemployment benefits
For employees, partial unemployment procedures are available online on the ministry's website.
For the liberal professions, a solidarity fund will be set up. The terms will be defined within the next 10 days.
Read also: How to get reimbursed for ski lifts passes?
