Pointe-a-Pitre (AFP)
On the Datcha beach, in Le Gosier, a seaside town in the south of Guadeloupe, holidaymakers are trying to keep smiling despite the new confinement which begins on Wednesday.
"It's different, but we're going to enjoy it during the day", projected Clara, a Breton tourist passing through for two weeks in the archipelago.
Outside of the strict curfew from 8:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m., movement will be limited to a radius of ten kilometers from Wednesday 8:00 p.m. and beach activities restricted to swimming and walking.
On the other hand, it is forbidden to spread your towel or picnic on the beach, or to quench your thirst in the bars, all closed in the face of the outbreak of the Covid on the Caribbean island where the incidence rate reaches 750 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
"It bothers us, we shift what we had planned, but we try to have fun so that it still looks like a vacation", relativizes Clara.
In the same state of mind, Aline, a Guadeloupean living in Paris, would have liked to walk freely for her return to the country, but had to review her program. She will stay at the family home with her children so that they can benefit from their grandparents. "We resign ourselves, but we say to ourselves that there is worse. In our ten kilometers, we have the beach and a swimming pool, so there will be fewer outings, but it's still a vacation," she says.
In large hotel complexes, tourists also keep their spirits up with the activities on site.
"For the moment, that does not change anything. We plan to stay at the club to benefit from the beach, so we are lucky on this point", underlines Anne-Sophie, arrived last Saturday at Club Med of Sainte-Anne , who nevertheless fears a closure of these structures, like what was decided by the prefecture in Martinique, where the health situation is even worse.
- "A blow of the club" -
If holidaymakers in Guadeloupe are positive, this is not the case for those who have to postpone their trip again, like Ophélie, her companion and their three children.
A street in Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe, re-defined for at least three weeks, July 30, 2021 Yannick Mondelo AFP
"We were supposed to come and spend ten days with my sister. We are annoyed, disappointed, very sad, but also very angry. We have been following the rules for 18 months. My husband, who is a nurse, has been working a lot more. . That I am alone at home. That we respect everything. It was our lifeline. We feel punished because of those who refuse to be vaccinated ", deplores Ophélie.
The frustration is also great on the side of the locals, on vacation for some, but who will have to stay at home.
"We wanted to take advantage to do lots of things, but these activities are not less than ten kilometers away. This situation is annoying", regrets Anne-Laure, mother of two children.
A confinement that also annoys professionals who hoped to take advantage of the season to make up for the months of inactivity.
"It's a massive blow. In August, 80% of our customers are Guadeloupeans from France and they are the most beautiful customers of the year. People are happy, they consume a lot and they travel to the whole territory ", testifies Rudy Nainan, president of the Association of Restaurateurs of the Islands of Guadeloupe.
Restaurants, forced to close in the evening, have for the moment permission to open at noon, but fear a total closure, envisaged by the prefecture in the event of a worsening of the health situation.
"If we don't work, it will finish us off," warns Mr. Nainan.
A fear shared by hoteliers, who remain open pending the next announcements from the authorities.
"For the moment, we have few cancellations, but we mainly have locals who come to spend a few nights and a business clientele, so for them everything remains as before. We continue and we wait to find out what the we are going to do it ", explains Catherine Cadrot, general manager of the Arawak Beach Resort, a hotel in Le Gosier.
© 2021 AFP