On the island of Reunion, the incidence rate for Covid-19 is two times lower than in mainland France.

Nevertheless, restaurateurs were forced to close in early April, for the first time since the start of the epidemic.

They hope for a reopening at the end of next week.

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The effects of the curfew at 6 p.m., in place for a month in Réunion, are starting to pay off.

If the South African variant of Covid-19 represents more than half of the cases listed, the incidence rate remains half that in France.

The efforts made have enabled the island to avoid confinement and the closure of many businesses in extremis.

Now, the Reunionese are betting on an upturn by the next weekend to find a semblance of life before.

"It is important not to confine! Especially not!", Insists with Europe 1 Myriam, who runs a clothing store on the island.

"Confining means no money coming in. We are very lucky in Reunion. At least we can live," she explains.

A very relative flexibility, however, because the sanitary measures remain very strict.

It is forbidden, for example, to go camping at the volcano, which erupted this week, a spectacle that hikers love.

"We would have liked to camp to see the volcano. But it is not worth going to congregate with 50 people. It is part of the efforts to be made", explains us a regular of large bivouacs.

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Coronavirus: follow the evolution of the situation Sunday, April 18

Restaurant owners hope for "a reopening next Friday"

But the biggest effort is the restaurant owners who were asked, two weeks ago, when they had to close for the first time.

However, the recent viral stabilization allows Renaud, manager of several establishments, to be optimistic.

"For the past two weeks we have been closed, we design it to curb the epidemic. We hope for a reopening next Friday, that would be ideal."

But the threat of confinement is still latent and the balance very fragile: only 6% of Reunionese have been vaccinated.

For the moment, it is three times less than in metropolitan France.