Police officers in Le Gosier in Guadeloupe, in March 2020. – Cedrick Isham CALVADOS / AFP
Due to a significant increase in the number of coronavirus cases, last week, Guadeloupe will introduce new health restrictions, the prefecture and the Regional Health Agency (ARS) of Guadeloupe announced on Wednesday.
Until May 9 inclusive, the start of the curfew will be brought forward to 7 p.m., against 10 p.m. currently, until 5 a.m. with “restaurants closing in the evening at the curfew schedule”, according to a press release sent to the from the weekly update on the health situation. In addition to this contact limitation measure, there is the “closure of cinemas, theaters and museums”.
Lowered gauges
The gauges in establishments open to the public, such as shopping and worship centers, will be lowered. “A passage in half-gauges for students in colleges and high schools” will be introduced on Monday as well as a “ban on competitions and sports training for adults” in sports establishments covered or open, according to the same source.
“If unfortunately we find that this is not enough, we will be forced to take additional measures from next week. […] this will concern restaurants at lunchtime and shopping malls ”, underlined the prefect of Guadeloupe, Alexandre Rochatte, during his weekly press briefing in the prefecture, in Basse-Terre.
“An evolution of 41.7%” of cases
The prefect added not to exclude “confinement” if necessary. “I hope that we will not reach the peak of the last time or even exceed it. I remind you that it was more than 1,000 cases per week ”, explained Valérie Denux, general manager of ARS Guadeloupe, referring to the peak of the second wave on the island, at the start of the 2020 school year. declared “very very worried”.
The virus’s reproduction rate, which expresses the average number of people infected by an infected person, stands at 1.21 against 1.05 the previous week. After a certain stability since the beginning of April, the number of cases of coronavirus increased significantly in Guadeloupe in the week of April 5 to 11, with “an evolution of 41.7%”, the ARS indicated on Tuesday.