French Polynesia will reopen its borders on July 3 and reduce the quarantine imposed on all new arrivals, before removing it on July 15 to allow the resumption of international tourism, announced the authorities of this ultra-marine community. This territory of a hundred islands, where no tourist has landed for three months, interrupted international flights in March, which allowed it to contain the coronavirus epidemic: only 60 cases were detected and none death of the Covid-19 is to be deplored.
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The Polynesian economy, based on tourism, is very affected. All hotels are closed, and two have announced that they will not reopen. The sector has been campaigning for several weeks for a resumption of flights and a relaxation of the fortnight, this quarantine of fourteen days which causes the cancellation of most of the tourist stays planned this summer.
"Economic and social emergency"
"We are going to open up our country even more to save jobs," said Polynesian President Edouard Fritch. Nearly 19,000 Polynesians work according to him in tourism or exercise a job related to this sector. "We are no longer in a health emergency, on the other hand we are in an economic and social emergency," said Nicole Bouteau, Minister of Tourism and Employment in local government. Edouard Fritch announced that the fortnight would change to the seventh from July 1, then would be deleted on July 15.
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In the first half of July, only Polynesian residents, students who wish to return to Polynesia and passengers with a "compelling reason" will be able to embark for Polynesia. They must carry out a Covid test 72 hours before boarding, be confined for seven days upon arrival, then undergo a new test.
From July 15, Polynesia will again accept international tourism from Europe and the United States, its main markets. It will require international travel insurance for all non-resident passengers, as well as a test before departure and another, for certain visitors, during their stay. They will undertake on their honor to respect the barrier gestures and to declare the symptoms that may occur.
No reconfiguration in case of virus return
High Commissioner Dominique Sorain has ruled out the idea of a new containment in case of reintroduction of the virus in the Polynesian islands. "We are possibly much more targeted operations, much more circumscribed: the detection of one, two or three cases, but we are not in a risk of development of the epidemic," he said.