While in France, the French remove the mask outdoors, the health situation is tense in New Caledonia. A state of health emergency has been declared on the archipelago, government spokesman Gabriel Attal announced after the Council of Ministers on Wednesday.
The circulation of the virus “is experiencing a considerable increase in the territory”, specifies a government decree while the Omicron variant is spreading rapidly in the South Pacific archipelago. The incidence rate is 1,468 cases per 100,000 inhabitants over the last 7 rolling days.
A less vaccinated population
“Vaccination coverage is also lower” in New Caledonia than in France, noted the government, adding that “the risks of developing serious forms of the disease are greatly increased and can quickly lead to saturation of hospital structures. on the territory “.
Just over 68% of the New Caledonian population had received at least one dose of vaccine as of January 31, 2022, according to Gabriel Attal.
A “health disaster”
“The current epidemic wave of Covid-19 constitutes a health disaster jeopardizing, by its nature and severity, the health of the population, justifying that a state of health emergency be declared there”, he summarized. .
The state of health emergency “will allow the High Commissioner of the Republic to take measures to ban travel outside the home”, specified the spokesperson, assuring that these measures would be “strictly proportionate to the health risks incurred. and appropriate to the circumstances of time and place.
Source: 20minutes
