New restrictions in the West Indies.
The prefect of Saint-Barthélemy and Saint-Martin decided on Wednesday to re-establish a curfew from August 5 to 20 in order to limit travel and gatherings, and curb the spread of Covid-19.
"The epidemiological indicators have doubled, the worsening is confirmed," assured the prefect, Serge Gouteyron.
"The health situations in Guadeloupe and Martinique having deteriorated for several weeks and our hospital system cannot cope alone, I decided to introduce additional measures to curb the spread of the virus on our islands," he said. he adds.
Travel will be prohibited from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., except for a compelling reason, according to the prefecture, which specifies that people having to travel on these time slots will have to bring a derogatory certificate and supporting documents to justify their situation.
A state of health emergency had already been declared there on July 28.
Tightening of entry conditions
In addition, the prefect announced a tightening of entry conditions to Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy.
Travelers wishing to return by sea will now have to present either a full vaccination status, or the result of a negative antigen or PCR test, or state a compelling reason and a certificate of compliance with an isolation of 7 days upon arrival.
The latest data from Public Health France show a sharp increase in the number of positive cases for Covid-19 in Saint-Martin, or 138 during the last week against 63 the week before.
The Louis Constant Fleming hospital in Saint-Martin still receives a large number of patients, with 13 people on August 4 in the Covid unit, according to the ARS of Guadeloupe, Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy.
Two deaths are to be deplored in 2 weeks, she specifies.
The overseas departments are handicapped by a low vaccination rate against Covid-19: they barely exceed 20%. Combined with the increase in the number of Covid-19 cases, this situation has decided Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Réunion to impose new lockdowns.