Will Mauritius go into lockdown once again ?

Schools have been closed (from today), students are required to do distance learning from Thursday. While it is obvious that cases of Covid-19 (most importantly deaths in younger adult patients 30 - 45 yrs) have been rising alarmingly since 1-2 weeks, the Govt had (previously) announced that a new lockdown is not conceivable (for economic reasons). The police force has been conducting awareness sessions throughout the island (specially in the capital) and tend to be generously giving fines to people not wearing masks or nor properly wearing masks. However, it has been noted that they tend to be more lenient with tourists.... who can be seen walking around not wearing masks.

I think that we are facing a new wave maybe not a violent one and would expect the authorities to go back to basics by being more strict. Precautionary measures have long been forgotten by part of the population, as some restrictions have been uplifted. A reminder is necessary....

P.S : If borders were still closed I think that restrictions such as going to supermarkets in alphabetical order and closing of the beach, restaurants would have been re implemented but since we now have tourists visiting the island, the Govt will tend to go easy ...

In any case, everyone must act responsibly and take precautionary measures, the Delta variant is spreading fast. Take care of yourself and your families.

article in L’Express about the Booster / Third Vaccination:


Cases of Covid-19 contamination are constantly increasing. Even the official figures show it. Faced with the information communicated in a trickle, psychosis is spreading across the country and rumors are spreading on social networks as quickly as the Delta. What is it really? Overview…

The status of the complete vaccination schedule under consideration

Faced with the outbreak of cases, authorities are focusing on the third dose. As of Friday, only 17,508 people had mobilized for this additional injection. The argument most often heard from those hesitating about this booster dose is the lack of information. Since September, the central laboratory has undertaken studies on the vaccinated population and the duration of protection of the antibodies, but their conclusions are not yet available. "For the moment, we are basing ourselves on international studies in relation to the strategy", explains Dr Zouberr Joomaye, spokesperson for the National Communication Committee.on the Covid-19. He recalls that in England, the authorities plan to open the country's borders only to travelers who have received their booster dose. A decision which should undoubtedly be effective from next year. As for Mauritius, if, for the moment, the additional dose is not mandatory, the High Level Committee is currently reflecting on the status of "fully vaccinated" and whether it will be necessary to amend it and give it only to those who did the booster dose. What will this change? Access to several establishments, such as restaurants and gyms, will then be reviewed and only people who have received two doses of AstraZeneca, Sinopharm and Covaxin, followed by an additional dose, or those having had two doses of Johnson, will be able to enter it.

Third dose: reassuring international data

But in the absence of local data, is it a good idea to do a third dose? Solicited, Shameem Jaumdally, virologist, affirms that in view of the situation, there are no other solutions. “Sinopharm has been used extensively in developing countries, which do not have the capacity to conduct extensive studies of the vaccine in their populations. So it is normal to rely on international data. ”

Will the third dose be a game-changer? “From the start, we know that Sinopharm is less effective and that is why the vaccine mix is ​​ideal. But given the situation, a third dose of Sinopharm is better than none at all, ” he says. According to a study published in September and which has not yet been peer reviewed, a third dose of Sinopharm reactivates all branches of the immune system and gives back antibodies, which tend to decline around four months after the second dose.

However, the virologist specifies, in the process, that beyond the vaccination, it is the strategy that must be seen. "For example, if we had kept the best vaccines to boost the immune system of the immunocompromised instead of giving them to young people, the number of deaths would be lower," he believes.

However, Shameem Jaumdally would like to point out that care must be taken when counting the percentage of vaccinees who die. Last week, of the 42 deaths, 22 were vaccinated. “This does not mean that there are more vaccinated people who die,” he insists. Because these 22 dead people were in a vaccinated population of 858,131 people while the 20 unvaccinated people were in a population of less than 350,000 unvaccinated, hence the impression of a higher percentage of deaths in vaccinated people.

Thanks for the update, rather worrisome. What's more troubling is that tourists are let off even if not wearing masks. They should be fined and penalised just as much and the same rules should apply to all. This scant respect for basic rules should be dealt with severely as they are just as prone to spreading the virus as anyone else.

agree with you totally that the same rules must apply to everyone

The Prime Minister will be back to the island tomorrow. Seems that some restrictive measures will be then taken...let us wait and see

source : Covid-19: restrictions introduced this Thursday

The translation of the above article :

"No new confinement in the program. On the other hand, new restrictions could be introduced in order to break the chain of transmission. However, no major decision should be taken in the absence of Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth. The latter is expected in Mauritius on Thursday morning, after his stay in the United Kingdom. It was within the framework of the COP26 summit and various meetings in London. An announcement is expected that day.

At the last High Level Committee meeting, which took place on Monday, several sources confirmed that a new lockdown was not on the agenda. "The 'lockdown' is a thing of the past but we must take measures both to contain the number of deaths and to break the chain of transmission", it is argued.

However, the reintroduction of certain restrictions is a possibility. These may possibly relate to the number of people at gatherings, such as weddings, and restrictions on public places, such as beaches. The closure of schools from Wednesday is a first restriction measure. This surprised many people, including members of the cabinet who had not been informed. The decision was reportedly made around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday during a meeting between the education minister and a technical committee made up of senior education ministry officials.

The minister left the National Assembly during the "tea break" to meet her senior executives"

Who would have thought:
The Minister of Finance, on his return from Great Britain where he attended the COP-26 and other businesses has tested positive .

Hello everyone,

Here are the latest news on restrictions due to Covid-19

Prime Minister Jugnauth announces series of measures to mitigate the spread of COVID-19

• A series of restrictive measures will be in force as from 06 00 hrs on 12 November 2021 to 06 00 hrs on 13 December 2021 as an increase in the number of positive COVID-19 cases and deaths related to the coronavirus in Mauritius has been noted during the past two weeks.

• The Prime Minister, Mr Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, made this announcement, this evening, during a televised message to the Nation.

• He highlighted that, until recently, statistics were encouraging and economic activities kicked off again but due to the fact that several members of the population are not abiding to strict sanitary conditions, Government has decided to apply some restrictive measures, which proved to be successful in the past, in a bid to stop the proliferation of the coronavirus in the community. He pointed out that wearing of face masks, social distancing, the use of hand sanitizers and monitoring of body temperature will have to thoroughly be observed.

• He underlined that it has been noted that several persons did not observe the necessary precautions while going to the beach, to shopping malls as well as gatherings and the situation worsened following a series of public holidays last week. He stressed that the collaboration and solidarity of each and every one is required so as to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

• Other measures are: restriction of the number of persons during public and private gatherings, funerals and weddings, with a maximum of 50 persons allowed; online courses for students of primary, secondary and tertiary institutions; only those fully vaccinated will be allowed to go to sports complexes and gymnasiums; children’s playground, bars and night clubs will be closed; clients and staff of restaurants and food courts will have to be vaccinated; socio-cultural activities will be prohibited; only a maximum of 10 persons at a time will be allowed inside worship places; reception halls, village halls, community centres and CAB offices will be closed; and picnics at the seaside are prohibited.

• Furthermore, the Prime Minister indicated that pre-primary schools, public gardens, health tracks will still be open; vaccinated persons will be allowed to practice individual and collective sports; and horse racing will take place ‘in camera’ with only 150 staff members. He added that the Work from Home scheme will be encouraged and a communique will be circulated to provide more details to public officers.
• Prime Minister Jugnauth recalled that, to date, almost 900,000 persons are already vaccinated. He however observed that the vaccine does not provide 100% immunity against COVID-19 and as such, it is important to receive a booster dose so as to strengthen one’s protection against the virus. He also reassured that Government is doing necessary for new treatments which are being developed at international level to be available to the local community as soon as they are approved and available on the market.

• Moreover, the Prime Minister reiterated his appeal to every citizen to act responsibly and collaborate with Government by observing all announced measures. He also expressed confidence that everyone will be able to adapt to the new normal. Strict control will be ongoing and sanctions will apply to those breaching recommended measures, he added.

Source : https://fb.watch/9d1gDqic0f/

Thank you for the information