Shops in Martinique will be closed Sunday and Easter Monday to reduce traffic on the island's streets, as part of the fight against the coronavirus epidemic, announced on Tuesday the prefect of the territory, Stanislas Cazelle. This decision is explained by the good results of the three weeks of confinement "generally well respected" and which "helped to avoid having a peak," said the prefect. With 152 cases and four deaths as of April 7, Martinique has "what the doctors at the hospital call a plateau, that is to say an exposure of the population which has not exploded," he said. he adds.
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In order not to lose the benefit of this confinement, the representative of the State therefore calls on "each of the people who live" in Martinique to "live Easter alone, in a family restricted at home, to keep this strict rule of not going out of at home ” . In Martinique, Easter is a very marked holiday. But for 2020, the prefect asks the population to ignore traditions: “Easter at the beach while camping is for next year. This year, it's Matoutou (traditional crab-based dish) with the family at home ” . In addition to closing the businesses, the police and the gendarmerie will carry out checks to verify compliance with the confinement, according to the same source.
These measures come the day after a similar decision taken by the prefect of Guadeloupe. During the Easter weekend, all travel will be prohibited, in particular for shopping for basic necessities, all shops, itinerant sales and take-out sales will be closed, with the exception of pharmacies on duty.
