As of Wednesday, Mauritius had 535 local COVID-19 cases since March 5, 2021. With the rising number of cases, the lockdown has been extended until April 30, 2021, although many sectors are now operational. Here's an insight into the current situation.
While Canot is no longer a red zone, people in other regions are living with fear. On Tuesday, 22 new positive cases were recorded in Highlands, which remains in the red zone. On the same day, four new cases were reported in Souillac, a village in the south of the island. To date, Mauritius has a record of 535 local cases. But as "contact tracing" continues, figures are expected to keep rising.
More than 500 cases were recorded in less than a month compared to last year during the 72 days lockdown. Mauritius had a record of 332 cases, including 10 deaths. Currently, only two deaths have been directly attributed to COVID-19. According to the Ministry of Health, the other four patients already had complications. As of Wednesday, 132 patients were considered cured and allowed to leave quarantine and self-isolate at home. So the country currently has 397 active cases. It's worth noting that 1,780 people are quarantined, including children, some of whom are taking part in examinations this week. There are 25 quarantine centres across the island.
On Tuesday, an invigilator at primary school exams got positive results from his PCR test. The inhabitant of Highlands has been in contact with a special need candidate taking exams in a school located in Beau-Bassin. The candidate was quarantined along with his parents. Meanwhile, the invigilator was admitted to ENT Hospital in Vacoas for treatment.
So far, patient zero hasn't been identified. But according to the government, an investigation is underway.
Ongoing vaccination campaign
The Ministry of Health is expecting some 210,000 people to be vaccinated in the coming weeks. The first doses of Covaxin should be completed by the end of the week so that the second dose of Covishield can be administered from Monday. Mauritius is also expecting Sinopharm vaccines, which are a donation from China.
Dr Catherine Gaud, an epidemiologist and advisor at the Prime Minister's office, recommends that patients who have recovered from COVID-19 wait at least 3 months to get the jab. According to her, a single dose of the vaccine is enough to boost their immune system. But they can get their two doses if they choose to get vaccinated after six months.
More WAPs delivered this week
This Monday, more than 60% of the working population had already resumed work. Indeed, 345,775 Work Access Permits (WAP) have been issued for an active population of 561,094 people. Not to mention the number of pending applications. Of requests made by people living in red zones, 23,329 special WAPs have also been granted early this week.
Borders could reopen in August
During the daily press briefing on Wednesday evening, the Minister of Health suggested that Mauritius could reopen its international borders as soon as August once herd immunity has been achieved.
