Incidence rates "never known" in France since the start of the epidemic.
Overseas Minister Sébastien Lecornu said on Tuesday that the health crisis was "extremely serious" in the West Indies, while he began that same day a "crisis visit" in the archipelago.
He is expected Tuesday evening in Guadeloupe and will travel to Martinique on Thursday where he will be joined by the Minister of Health Olivier Véran.
"These are incidence rates that we have never known in all the territories of the Republic combined," he added, considering a probable strengthening of containment in Guadeloupe like the one announced in Martinique on Monday. "It makes sense that we are going to have to tighten up the braking measures as there is an emergency," he explained. The decision should be taken Wednesday, after consulting local elected officials and remotely attending a Health Defense Council chaired by Emmanuel Macron by videoconference.
In Martinique, subject to partial containment since July 30, the authorities announced strict measures, and invited tourists to leave the island.
Shops (except food shops and pharmacies) are closed as are seasonal rentals, hotels (except for the reception of professionals and residents), but also places of culture and leisure including beaches.
Travel is restricted to a maximum of one kilometer around the home.
Read also Covid-19: Martinique, Guyana ... why overseas are three times less vaccinated than the metropolis
In this poorly vaccinated area (22% of the population received a first dose), the incidence rate soared to 1,162 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, according to the Regional Health Agency.
By way of comparison, at the national level, Olivier Véran announced that 45 million French people and 80% of adults were "first-vaccinated".
Martinique went from 410 cases on July 6 to 4,171 in the first week of August, and 35 deaths.
In four weeks, 350 people were hospitalized.
"You have to understand that we welcome at least 15 patients every day: this is the equivalent of a medical hospitalization unit," recalls Jérôme Viguier, the director general of the ARS.
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"We were vaccinated to come and in the end we are confined": in Martinique, bitter tourists
In neighboring Guadeloupe, already subject to new confinement, the figures also explode: from August 2 to 8, the incidence rate reached 1,769 per 100,000 inhabitants, against 876 the previous week.
During this same period, 14 people died, and the Delta variant represents 88% of the contaminations.
Here too, vaccination coverage remains much lower than in metropolitan France: less than 20% of the population received the two injections there.
Reinforcements of caregivers expected on site
Gérard Cotellon, the director general of the CHU of Pointe-à-Pitre, affirms having to "push the walls" to install new patients, the vast majority of whom are not vaccinated.
And "I recruited massively, but that is not enough", he laments.
In total, 240 caregivers spread over two planes, one for Guadeloupe, one for Martinique, are to fly from Paris on Tuesday for a 15-day support mission.
In addition, 60 firefighters will travel to the West Indies.
Faced with the influx of patients, the two islands carried out the first evacuations of patients to hospitals in France in early August.
To make matters worse, a tropical storm threatens Guadeloupe and Martinique which were placed on yellow vigilance Tuesday by Météo France.
