Covid-19: confinement extended for two weeks in New Caledonia

Containment, in force since September 7 in New Caledonia, has been extended by two weeks, due to traffic “Still too high” coronavirus, announced on Friday 1^er October the president of the local government.

Louis Mapou, independence activist, specified that, until October 10 inclusive, the current strict confinement – closure of schools and non-essential businesses, curfew from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m., travel subject to a certificate – would be maintained. Next, “If the indicators evolve favorably, adaptations for a gradual recovery of the economy” will be applied until October 17 before a probable implementation of the health pass.

For more than eighteen months, New Caledonia has been able to boast of being one of the rare lands on the planet spared by the Covid-19 pandemic. This prerogative collapsed on September 6, with the detection of three local cases of the Delta variant, the contagiousness of which got the better of the tightness of the sanitary lock at the borders. Since then, the epidemic has been on the rise. Ten people have died from the disease in the past 24 hours, bringing the total death toll since the onset of the Delta variant crisis to 129.

The saturated hospital center

“Ninety-six percent of the dead were unvaccinated, their average age is 71 and the youngest was 40; 56% are Kanaks, 22% Wallisians and Futunians and 22% come from other communities ”, Mr. Mapou said. Thanks to containment, the incidence rate of the virus, which reached 1,200 per 100,000 inhabitants ten days ago is currently 588, but the crisis “Will still last for many weeks”, warned the head of the collegiate executive.

In all, 7,619 people have so far been infected and 4,300 of them have recovered.

While nearly 300 patients are hospitalized, including 56 in intensive care, the territorial hospital center is saturated and its staff put to the test. In this regard, Mr. Mapou paid tribute to caregivers and “Colossal resources mobilized by the State”.

Patrice Faure, High Commissioner of the Republic, announced that a “Second contingent of 103 caregivers” of the health reserve would arrive next week from France and would be added to the 174 personnel already dispatched to the archipelago. “National solidarity will last as long as necessary”, he said.

The two officials once again urged the population to be vaccinated, in the many centers open across the territory. Currently, 34% of the population has a complete vaccination schedule and about 65% have received at least one dose.