Billionaire entertainment mogul David Geffen’s, Riviera resort, has its own private coronavirus testing center, making the gap between the rich and poor more glaring.
Across France, which already counts more than 19,700 deaths in the pandemic, most public hospitals are overwhelmed with covid-19 patients. Tests are in short supply or are completely inaccessible. Outside the compound’s walls, the situation is not much different at the Pôle de Santé du Golfe de Saint-Tropez hospital.
According to reports, the medical unit was organized by Les Parcs’s association president, Jean-Louis Oger.
Despite the outrage, Oger insists that the medical unit has only conducted blood tests for a clinical trial that his company is running to determine levels of immunity to the virus in people who have been infected.
Coronavirus tests are in short supply or are inaccessible in medical facilities across France, including the Saint-Tropez hospital, located in the adjoining town of Gassin.
“This is an example of the Happy Few,” Laetitia Leplaideur, a former president of the Rotary Club said. “As if they are saying, ‘Well, we have money, we do what we want, and we don’t care what the state says.’ The rules of confinement are well-respected across the peninsula, except in Les Parcs.”
It is unknown if the community has had any confirmed cases of covid-19. Since the testing site is on private property, it is outside the municipality’s jurisdiction.
