Wearing a mask becomes compulsory in neighborhoods, gatherings of more than 10 people and team sports are prohibited: the prefect of Reunion is taking new restrictive measures in the face of the explosion in the number of indigenous cases. The situation is “worrying”.
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With 79 new cases this Friday, August 21, Reunion has just exceeded the threshold of 1,000 cases of coronavirus. “Reunion is now going from a low to moderate state of vulnerability”, indicates Martine Ladoucette, the director general of the Regional Health Agency, who specifies however that “the indicators still place us below the national alert threshold”. The director general of the ARS, the prefect of Reunion, Jacques Billant and the secretary general of the academy of Reunion, Francis Fonderflick, spoke on the measures to fight against the coronavirus in the island.
Find here an excerpt from the press conference on Réunion La 1ère:
1075 cases and 10 clusters
Réunion now has 1,075 cases and ten clusters: seven in Saint-Denis, two in Saint-André and one in Sainte-Marie. “Almost all of the clusters are caused by family gatherings of a festive nature”, adds the director general of the ARS.
The department has a “real circulation of the virus with an increase in indigenous cases which become greater than the number of cases imported into the island”. The prefect of Reunion considers that “the health situation is worrying”.
The compulsory mask in more sectors
In this context, Jacques Billant announces new restrictive measures. “Wearing a mask is becoming compulsory in new areas: several districts of Saint-Denis, in the city center, Chaudron, Bas-de-la-Rivière and the Saint-Pierre seafront”, details the prefect who recalls that the mask was already compulsory “in public transport, shops, shopping centers, public services, near nurseries, schools, the university, the airport, and in certain busy streets”. “I would integrate new sectors whenever necessary”, adds Jacques Billant.
Ban on gatherings of more than 10 people
Jacques Billant also announces “the ban on leisure gatherings of more than ten people throughout the department: green spaces, picnic areas and beaches“are concerned. Several municipalities have already taken decrees going in this direction during the day.
Prohibition of team and contact sports
The prefect of Reunion also bans the practice of team sports and contact sports throughout the department.
All these announced measures take effect from tomorrow, Saturday and until Sunday, September 13. The prefect asked the mayors and the police to increase “the strict controls of these restrictive measures, but essential to fight against the spread of the virus”.
“To win this battle against the virus”, the prefect of Reunion calls “the responsibility of all”. “We can no longer accept the absence of barrier gestures, of distancing and not wearing a mask”.
Extend screening
For the authorities, the priority remains to expand and target screening. “Reunion Island tests an average of 1,700 people per day”, says Martine Ladoucette, director general of the ARS. Of these 1,700 people, around 700 are travelers who are tested on D + 7. “Their positivity rate is 0.3%”, continues Martine Ladoucette who considers that he “must not saturate the means and the laboratories on these tests at D + 7”. Today, 55% of cases are indigenous, she therefore calls on the people of Reunion to be tested as much as possible in the event of symptoms, or of risk of being in contact.
Find here an excerpt from the press conference on Réunion La 1ère:
Case mapping for mayors
In addition, the ARS “hears the legitimate request of mayors to be associated with crisis management and to have epidemiological data”. “Now that there is circulation within the population, the ARS will give municipalities a representation of the number of confirmed cases, without any name indication”, announces Martine Ladoucette, the general manager.
Reactivate ambulatory Covid centers
The ARS also wants “reactivate the means and organizations planned for the first wave”. It asks municipalities and groups of doctors to commit to putting in place outpatient Covid centers dedicated to the care of patients who test positive. Martine Ladoucette also asks attending physicians to strengthen their contribution to contact tracing, because it is they “who know the contact cases best” of their patients. In addition, the ARS will double its staff, and those of the Health Insurance, dedicated to managing the crisis.
47 reports in schools
The management of the health crisis is also done in conjunction with local authorities and schools where the virus is introduced every day. Since the start of the school year, last August 17, “47 reports were made by the doctors of the rectorate to the ARS and there were 14 confirmed cases of Covid-19”, says the secretary general of the academy of Reunion.
According to Francis Fonderflick, “there is no case of contamination in the school environment, the students are safe in the schools”. “For the moment, all the cases come from outside and in particular from family gatherings”, he recalls.
Case-by-case decisions for schools
The secretary general of the Reunion Island Academy explains that when the virus arrives in an establishment, “A report is sent to the ARS which estimates the risk and guides concerted decisions ranging from the septage to the closure of an establishment”. Francis Fonderflick explains that there are three types of report: “the report of a symptomatic student, a contact case, or a proven Covid case”.
Depending on the report, decisions are made on a case-by-case basis. For Francis Fonderflick, “Closing schools has deleterious consequences for children and their learning with an impact on their well-being and their health”. The Rectorate of Reunion Island insists on the importance of consultation with local authorities to find concerted solutions under the aegis of the ARS.
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