Illustration of a quarantine in a hospital due to coronavirus. - HOLLANDSE HOOGTE / SIPA

Personalities, mostly from overseas, question the President of the Republic in a forum, "on the consequences of the health crisis which could be dramatic" for the overseas territories. They evoke "the threat of an unprecedented economic, social, moral and political crisis".

The signatories, led by the former inter-ministerial delegate for equal opportunities for French overseas nationals Patrick Karam (LR), welcome "that the disaster announced in these territories has not taken place". But they stress "that the overseas territories have passed very close to a massacre (...), even if all danger has not been ruled out, as the situation in Mayotte shows".

On my initiative, 53 personalities & 133 associations denounce the lack of resources for overseas health and are worried about the consequences of the Covid-19 epidemic for the inhabitants. They ask for a massive investment plan and unveil proposals.https: //t.co/U5VZyQDKvk

- Patrick Karam (@karampatrick) May 18, 2020

Pascal Légitimus, Jocelyne Beroard and Christine Kelly among the signatories

The overseas territories counted more than 2,450 declared cases on Monday, more than half of them in Mayotte, which also records 18 of the 50 deaths recorded in all of the territories.

"This crisis has played the role of revealing the structural deficiencies and the dramatic impoverishment of our overseas territories, denounced year after year", write the personalities, including the singer of the group Kassav Jocelyne Beroard, the actors Pascal Legitimus and Firmine Ricard or journalist Christine Kelly.

“Already largely affected by poverty, unemployment, economic backwardness and glaring shortcomings in the health and education systems, the overseas territories will, with a few exceptions, be very hard hit by the repercussions of this crisis health "and could" turn into a real powder keg, "insist the signatories. The latter called for a long series of economic measures, and "to respond to the immediate problem of social dropout", demand for example "the creation of a check to acquire essential goods".

"A massive investment plan" demanded

They also ask that the State "free the means of a massive investment plan" on "hospitals, access to water, waste treatment, electricity, the digital, green economy and blue, but also resources for education with prioritization of credits from the skills investment plan (PIC), health, the fight against poverty and illiteracy ”.

"This crisis highlights the deep discomfort of overseas societies" and "on this discontent, surf groups that wonder about belonging to the French group", write the former athletics champion Christine Arron, the journalist Mémona Hintermann or ex-world boxing champion Jean-Marc Mormeck.

Health

Coronavirus in Mayotte: The scientific council recommends maintaining confinement until the epidemic's decline

Society

VIDEO. Coronavirus in Overseas France: To tackle the epidemic, they have launched solidarity projects

  • Overseas
  • Coronavirus
  • Covid 19
  • Society
  • Emmanuel Macron