Overseas, the fight against the coronavirus intensifies

786 cases, 13 deaths. Overseas, with the notable exception of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon and Wallis and Futuna, the coronavirus continues its mad race, with " a month's difference " on the Hexagon, estimated the Minister of Overseas , Annick Girardin, on Outre-mer La Première. The challenge is immense in the overseas territories, " whose fragilities we know ", whether they are "geographic" , " social " or " in health systems ", underlined the government spokesperson, Sibeth Ndiaye Wednesday April 1 . Consequently, “ specific decisions ”, to use the Prime Minister's expression, were taken for these little bits of France scattered around the world.

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As part of "Operation Resilience", two helicopter carriers will be deployed overseas. The Mistral will be sent to the Indian Ocean, where Mayotte and La Réunion are located. Diksmuide will leave Friday for the Antilles / Guyana area. These buildings will not be "hospital ships" , however warned Sibeth Ndiaye: "They will transport medical equipment, and they will provide significant logistical support, particularly in matters of civil security. They embark helicopters which will be important to be able to carry out for example [...] rapid medical evacuations, if necessary. "

Curfews are becoming more widespread

The government has also decided to authorize " doctors, dentists, midwives and pharmacists with diplomas obtained " outside the European Union to exercise " as an exception in Guyana, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy, and Saint-Pierre and Miquelon ”. The decree, published Wednesday in the Official Journal, specifies that the practitioners whose candidacies will be retained will benefit from an authorization to practice "which cannot be less than six months nor extend beyond December 31, 2025" . Cuban health professionals, very famous, are primarily concerned.

Read also: In Martinique, confinement under the Antilles sun

These recent measures are in addition to those already taken in March, in particular the drastic reduction of air links and the increase in the number of beds in intensive care, as well as those taken in each territory by local authorities. On Wednesday, the prefects of Martinique and Guadeloupe implemented curfews, thus imitating French Polynesia, Guyana and Mayotte. In Reunion, an overseas territory most affected by the pandemic with 281 cases, the prefect banned the sale of take-away alcohol from 5 p.m. due to the "manifest link between alcohol consumption and violence [within the family, Editor's note].