A man gets supplies in a market in Fort-de-France on March 11, 2009. -

PATRICE COPPEE / AFP

The return of restrictions.

From Friday, a curfew will be implemented in Martinique for a period of three weeks, in order to counter a resumption of the Covid-19 epidemic, the prefect Stanislas Cazelles announced on Tuesday.

From 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., Martinicans will no longer be able to go out without a derogatory certificate and only for specific reasons: professional activities, urgent consultations and care as well as imperative family reasons.

An increase in "unauthorized gatherings on beaches"

Establishments open to the public and having a catering activity in shopping centers will be closed and the consumption of drinks or food prohibited in shopping malls.

New restrictions have also been taken for sports activities.

“We have observed a large increase in unauthorized gatherings on beaches and on public roads, an increase in infractions in establishments open to the public in the evening, difficulty in distancing and wearing masks and non-compliance with closure which were sanctioned by 30 formal notices and 5 closures, ”said the prefect.

Over 400 cases last week

For three months, Martinique had been relatively spared from Covid-19 with only about fifty cases each week.

“But since the end of February, the epidemic has started to rise again under the combined effect of the relaxation of behavior and the circulation of the English variant,” explained Stanislas Cazelles.

Martinique has counted over the last week "more than 400 cases including 50 to 60% of English variant", according to Jacques Rosine, the head of Public Health France in Martinique.

That figure was 252 the week before.

The incidence rate has thus exceeded the mark of 100 per 100,000 inhabitants this week.

37 patients hospitalized at the CHU

Martinique has deplored 50 deaths since the start of the epidemic, 37 patients are hospitalized at the island's university hospital, ten of whom are in intensive care.

80% of COVID beds are already occupied.

In this context, the Prefect also announced the strengthening of the “test, alert, protect” system.

Finally, the vaccination campaign should also be stepped up.

So far, 13,000 injections including 10,000 first doses have been administered in Martinique.

The prefect plans to increase the number of vaccination centers in order to vaccinate 3,000 people per day.

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