Incidence rates "never known" in France since the start of the Covid-19 epidemic, strict confinement in Martinique and probable in Guadeloupe: the health crisis is "extremely serious" in the West Indies where the Minister of Overseas Sébastien Lecornu begins, Tuesday August 10, a "crisis visit".

"The situation is extremely serious," the minister, who left Paris in the middle of the afternoon for Guadeloupe, told AFP.

He will travel to Martinique on Thursday where he will be joined by the Minister of Health Olivier Véran.  

"These are incidence rates that we have never known in all the territories of the Republic combined," he added, considering a probable strengthening of containment in Guadeloupe like the one announced in Martinique on Monday. 

"It makes sense that we are going to have to tighten up the braking measures as there is an emergency," he explained.

The decision should be taken Wednesday, after consulting local elected officials and attending by videoconference a Health Defense Council chaired by Emmanuel Macron. 

In Martinique, subject to partial containment since July 30, the authorities announced strict measures, and invited tourists to leave the island.

Shops (except food shops and pharmacies), seasonal rentals and hotels (except for the reception of professionals and residents), places of culture and leisure including beaches are closed.

Travel is restricted to a maximum of one kilometer around the home, against 10 kilometers until then.

Tourists invited to leave Martinique 

Regarding tourists encouraged to leave Martinique, Jean-Pierre Mas, president of Travel Companies (EDV), explained to AFP the conditions of return: people visiting with their families or having organized their trip themselves must get closer to service providers (airline, car rental company, etc.)

For those who have gone through a professional, "we would repatriate them without their having to pay any additional price," he said. 

In this poorly vaccinated territory (22% of the population received a first dose), where the Delta variant represents 40% of contaminations, the incidence rate soared to 1,162 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, according to the Agency. regional health.

>> See also: Containment in the West Indies: a blow to tourism

Martinique went from 410 cases on July 6 to 4,171 in the first week of August, and 35 deaths.

In four weeks, 350 people were hospitalized.

"You have to understand that we welcome at least 15 patients every day: it is the equivalent of a medical hospitalization unit", recalls Jérôme Viguier, the director general of the ARS.

In neighboring Guadeloupe, already subject to new confinement but for the time being less strict than that of Martinique, the figures also explode: from August 2 to 8, the incidence rate reached 1,769 per 100,000 inhabitants, against 876 per 100,000 inhabitants. previous week.

During this same period, 14 people died, and the Delta variant represents 88% of the contaminations.

There too, vaccination coverage is much lower than in mainland France and less than 20% of the population received the two injections there.

Gérard Cotellon, the director general of the CHU of Pointe-à-Pitre, told AFP to have to "push the walls" to install new patients, the vast majority of whom are not vaccinated.

Guadeloupe and Martinique awaiting caregivers from mainland France

In total, 240 caregivers spread over two planes, one for Guadeloupe, one for Martinique, are to fly late Tuesday afternoon from Paris for a 15-day support mission.

In addition, 60 firefighters will travel to the West Indies.

The @ sdis27 of @EureenNormandie today sends 5 firefighters to lend a hand to their Guadeloupean colleagues in the face of the # Covid19 epidemic.



I will welcome them myself at Pointe-à-Pitre airport with the other reinforcements from all over France.

pic.twitter.com/T7fteJJjIQ

- Sébastien Lecornu (@SebLecornu) August 10, 2021

Faced with the influx of patients, the two islands carried out the first evacuations of patients to hospitals in France in early August.

To make matters worse, a tropical storm threatens Guadeloupe and Martinique which were placed on yellow vigilance Tuesday by Météo France.

Elsewhere in the Overseas Territories, the health situation is also critical in Polynesia where the incidence rate now exceeds 1,000 cases per 100,000 inhabitants and where the authorities have announced the reinstatement of a curfew from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. in the morning.

In Reunion, also subject to partial containment since July 31, the incidence rate was more than 350 on August 3.

With AFP

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