This week, Mauritius recorded a sharp rise in the number of Covid-19 cases, and the Prime Minister held a speech at a conference on drug addiction. Also, the country is about to sign an agreement with the French Development Agency.
Rise in the number of Covid-19 cases over the past week
The number of Covid-19 cases in Mauritius is on the rise again, with 231 cases detected by rapid test on 26 April compared to 143 cases from 3 to 31 March. In the past week, 100 cases were detected by PCR test and 1,460 cases by rapid test, according to official figures. Regarding the XBB.1.9.1 variant, a sub-variant of Omicron, currently circulating in Mauritius, ENT Hospital, a medical treatment center for Covid patients, is awaiting the results of the latest sequencing to identify the most recent cases. The hospital director reminds the population to remain cautious and protect themselves, especially the elderly and those with co-morbidities, and to get vaccinated. Still, he reassures the public that Covid-19 should become a seasonal disease, similar to other viral infections such as influenza or gastroenteritis. The Ministry of Health plans to order more vaccines to ensure the population's safety.
Mauritius is about to sign an agreement with AFD
Mauritius is about to sign an agreement with the French Development Agency (AFD - Agence française de développement) and the Environment and Energy Management Agency (ADEME - Agence de l'environnement et de la maîtrise de l'énergie) of Reunion Island to make the island's waste management sector more efficient. The announcement was made on Monday by the Minister for the Environment, Solid Waste Management and Climate Change, Kavy Ramano, following a meeting with the directors of AFD and ADEME, with the aim of developing a new solid waste management strategy.
Currently, a team from ADEME is visiting Mauritius to assess the waste management system. Subsequently, a Mauritian delegation will visit Reunion Island to better understand waste management procedures in terms of collection and sorting, as well as circular initiatives in the waste sector.
New security measures to fight against drugs
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth attended the opening ceremony of a three-day conference on substance abuse for countries in the Western Indian Ocean region at the Sir Harilal Vaghjee Memorial Hall in Port Louis.
During the event, the Prime Minister pointed out that Mauritius has set up a Neighbourhood Watch system to prevent illegal activities in the community and suggested that a regional Neighbourhood Watch system be put in place for countries in the Western Indian Ocean region. He also detailed the roles of the National Council on Drugs and HIV, the National Drug Secretariat and the Drug Users' Administrative Committee, pointing out that the National Drug Observatory is fully operational.
On the same day, Rebound, a drug prevention program for school students, was launched. The program aims to help students develop a sense of responsibility while strengthening independent decision-making and resilience.
