"
We are in a bubble
": 18,000 km from Paris, New Caledonia, which votes for its independence on Sunday, is one of the very few territories in the world to have escaped the Covid-19 epidemic, and its inhabitants lead a "
normal
"
life
without masks or barrier gestures.
Read also: New Caledonia: start of the official campaign for the referendum
"
We go out, we see our friends, we will see shows, without masks and without barrier gestures
," Yoanna Wiard, HRD of a large New Caledonian company, told AFP.
"
We live quite normally and we know how lucky we are
", while the pandemic has already killed more than a million people around the world.
"
You won't find the mask with us,
" confirms Viannick, a 46-year-old Melanesian who lives in Koumac, (north).
"
We have a more or less normal life, but we know that we have a sword of Damocles over our heads,
" she adds.
Like all voters in the referendum, she will vote on Sunday "
without a mask
".
Just as she participated in the Koumac Fair, a large agricultural festival which brought together 18,000 people over three days.
Of the 270,000 inhabitants of the territory, only 27 cases of coronavirus, all imported, have been identified to date in the archipelago, which was the French territory with the shortest confinement (March 24 / April 20).
The only other completely untouched territory is Wallis and Futuna.
All the cases of Covid are cured, with the exception of the last, identified last Friday, with a person coming from metropolitan France and placed in fourteen.
Because since March 20, international flights have been drastically reduced and everyone arriving is obligatorily placed in a fortnight in hotels requisitioned by the government.
A PCR test must be carried out before departure and another before leaving the hotel.
The Caledonian government, which is autonomous in terms of health, has decided to extend this system until March 27, 2021. “
We are a small Gallic village which is resisting.
All around us, the world is experiencing an upsurge in the virus and we therefore have a responsibility to keep New Caledonia in this favorable situation
, ”explained the president of the collegiate government, Thierry Santa.
Local holidays
As a result, “
everyone has reviewed their summer vacation schedules (from December to the end of February),
” admits Yoanna Wiard.
“
Instead of leaving, the Caledonians will support the Caledonian economy
,” she adds.
"
It's binding,
" admits Viannick, who impatiently awaits that his son, stuck since December in Canada by the scarcity of flights, finally comes out of his fortnight.
“
But we prefer that they do not let go of anyone in the wild, we are safe.
When you see what is happening in Tahiti,
”she emphasizes.
Polynesia has reopened its borders to restart tourism, but is experiencing an increase in the number of contaminations and deaths.
"
In the tribes, we realized that this virus is dangerous,
" continues Viannick.
“
We wash our hands more, we cough away, the older people are very protected.
If I meet a person I don't know, I no longer hold out my hand,
”she admits,“
whereas the Oceanian is usually very family, very tactile.
We like to embrace, but the custom has been overturned
”.
Because among Kanaks, Covid-19 recalls the introduction by Westerners, from the end of the 18th century, of viruses causing deadly epidemics.
The customary chiefdoms have banned since the end of February the docking of cruise ships, especially in the Loyalty Islands, where tourism is a source of income, and have put pressure on the authorities so that New Caledonia is isolated.
But in the economic world, companies "
lack visibility on the future
", deplores Xavier Benoist, president of the Federation of Industries.
"
We are unable to say when our borders will reopen, when we were only beginning to integrate economically at the regional level
".
According to a study by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) carried out in August among 165 local companies, 70% are worried about the economic development of New Caledonia and 73% have recorded declines in turnover over the past six months.