The Vacci'Bus should be deployed in the territory of Libournais, like those adopted by the city of Reims -

FRANCOIS NASCIMBENI / AFP

  • The mayor of Libourne hopes to be able to speed up the vaccination rate at the end of this week.

  • In mid-February, Philippe Buisson wants to deploy buses to go and vaccinate the over 75s in the remote villages of the agglomeration.

  • The elected representative also anticipates the end of the crisis, and urges companies that feel in difficulty to make themselves known to the commercial court now.

PS mayor of Libourne and president of the agglomeration community, Philippe Buisson gives an update for

20 Minutes

on the vaccination strategy implemented on his territory, with in particular buses to vaccinate the inhabitants of the most remote villages, as in the urban community of Reims.

If he fears the repercussions of the health crisis on the economy, the socialist also believes that the attractiveness of the Libournais will emerge strengthened

Where is the vaccination rate in Libourne?

Thanks to the ARS, we opened a vaccination center in a gymnasium - in addition to the internal vaccination center at the hospital - which takes 100 appointments per day, or 600 per week.

The outlook should allow us, from the end of this week, to increase this pace.

So, even if the appointments have been full for several days, decongestion seems to be able to begin in the coming weeks.

I hope that the Cali will be there, in particular to accompany the arrival of the AstraZeneca vaccine which can be injected in a simpler way than the Pfizer, and which above all should be able to be transported easily.

This is why I am putting myself in the perspective of arming, by mid-February, buses which will be called Vacci'CaliBus, and which will circulate in the most remote villages of the vaccination centers.

They will thus be able, on the village square, to vaccinate people over 75 years old.

These buses will therefore only be able to vaccinate with the AstraZeneca vaccine?

Yes.

The Pfizer and Moderna not only need to be kept cold, but are also very sensitive to movement.

We will thus be able to go and vaccinate dependent people at home.

I have already asked the mayors of my city to list the volunteers.

It is about reactivating a device that we know well, that of the heat wave plan.

La Cali is 90,000 inhabitants, and 9,500 inhabitants over 75 years old.

The challenge I set for myself is to vaccinate a large part of this priority public in February.

Our vaccination dossier

Materially, how does the device appear?

It is a collaboration with the hospital which provides the medical equipment and Transdev will take charge of one or both buses. 

This is where local elected officials have a role to play, by the way?

Absolutely.

In this fight against Covid, I consider that the State has not learned from its mistakes.

There was the problem of masks, then that of screening centers, and once again we felt the State and the ARS not necessarily willing to immediately involve elected officials.

However, a battle is won with State piloting, but also with troops.

And the elect must be those troops.

Now things are underway and I prefer to look ahead, and in any case in Libourne we have succeeded in showing that vaccination can be organized from territories outside the metropolitan area.

And even if there is still the constraint of the lack of vaccine, we see that the end of the tunnel is approaching.

On the prospect of a reconfinement, what consequence could this have on a territory like Libourne?

Containment seems inevitable, and I believe it is important to do everything to keep schools open, so to try as best as possible to model the confinement on the February holidays.

For the rest, we are meeting the economic challenge to safeguard activity through infusions of public money, however I have a concern for the future.

The critical period will not necessarily be that of confinement, but that of exiting the crisis, when the taps start to close.

And I am worried to see that the commercial court of Libourne has very little activity today.

It is not normal.

Companies that think they are in difficulty when coming out of the crisis must make themselves known now.

In this general slump, there is this project of the largest wine tourism center in Europe, in the former barracks of the Esog de Libourne, presented a few days ago by businessman Michel Ohayon.

Isn't the project too big for Libourne, by the way?

The territory of Libournais is envy to investors, and that Michel Ohayon is interested in Libournais, it is good news.

It is clear that this health crisis appears as an accelerator for the territories peripheral to the metropolises, and Libourne is ideally located, in particular to size a European wine tourism pole, in the heart of the most prestigious vineyards of Saint-Emilion, Pomerol, Fronsac.

We are talking about an investment of several hundred million euros, and the creation of nearly a thousand jobs, by the end of 2025-beginning of 2026.

The reconversion project of the former Esog barracks in Libourne, by businessman Michel Ohayon, and architect Michel Petuaud-Létang - FIB

Do you already feel that Libourne is more attractive?

Yes clearly.

Libourne businesses feel it, with Bordeaux residents, metropolitan residents, who come to do their shopping in Libourne considering that it is on a human scale, and that rue Gambetta is more “secure” than rue Saint-Catherine.

In 2020, Galeries Lafayette de Libourne experienced the largest increase in turnover of all Galeries Lafayette in France ...

Bordeaux

Libourne: Wine shopping center, luxury boutiques, car museum ... An XXL project is taking shape in the old barracks

Bordeaux

Bordeaux: La Cité du Vin "has set itself the mission of changing 100%" of its content by 2026

  • Vaccination

  • Covid 19

  • Libourne

  • Coronavirus

  • Aquitaine

  • Bordeaux