Curfew on French island of Martinique extended amid 'worrying' Covid surge

Authorities in the French Caribbean island of Martinique have prolonged a night-time curfew for a further two weeks to combat a surge in Covid-19 infections.

Medical staff tend to a Covid-19 patient in the intensive care unit of the Pierre Zobda-Quitman University hospital in Fort-de-France, Martinique, on 1 December, 2021. AFP - ALAIN JOCARD

Warning the fifth virus wave was “increasingly worrying”, Martinique’s prefect said the 8pm-5am curfew would be re-enforced from Wednesday.

The original curfew had been introduced because of violence that hit the island during at night. 

The extension, which is subject to a review clause, is to rein in the spiralling number of cases.

"All travel (on the island) must be justified by a compelling reason of family, health or professional nature,” prefect Stanislas Cazelle announced in a press release.

“If stopped by the police, you will have to provide both a certificate for exceptional travel and a supporting document justifying your reason for breaking the curfew.”

Exceptions for establishments open to the public until 10pm will no longer be accepted.

Communiqué de presse | Instauration d'un couvre-feu à compter d'aujourd'hui à 19h00 ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/s4UbikoDMk

— Préfet de la Martinique (@Prefet972) November 25, 2021

Questions remain

In order to slow down this fifth wave, working from home and meeting via video conference is “strongly recommended,” Cazelle said in the press release.

“Christmas season events would be “reinvented” to keep people safe.

In Martinique, vaccination is now recommended for children aged 12 and over to slow the circulation of the virus.

The French West Indies is facing strong tensions due to the high cost of living and the compulsory vaccination of healthcare workers.

The minister in charge of French overseas territories, Sebastien Lecornu, last week promised to open dialogue on adaptating the enforcement of Covid rules.

Read also:

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