Another turn of the screw. The Polynesian High Commissioner, Dominique Sorain, announced, Monday, August 9, the reestablishment of a curfew from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. throughout the territory from August 11 in the face of the outbreak of the epidemic of Covid-19.
He did not rule out extending the hours of this curfew “very quickly”, or even reconfiguring Polynesia, while the start of the school year, maintained, must take place throughout this week in this overseas collectivity. .
“On July 16, we had an incidence rate of less than 10, today we are at more than 1,000,” lamented Dominique Sorain on the local channel TNTV. After several months of very weak circulation of the virus, the epidemic experienced a sudden resurgence in early August.
First restrictions in force since the end of July
No Polynesians were hospitalized for Covid-19 in mid-July: they are now 159, including 27 in intensive care, for a total of 166 deaths since the start of the epidemic.
Restrictions have already been in place since the end of July: limitation of public gatherings to 20 people and ban on any event bringing together more than 500 people, ban on concerts, exhibitions, funfairs and weddings and birthdays in public establishments, nightclubs and venues closed balls, closed sports competitions.
The local government is also facing a political crisis linked to the epidemic. Its vice-president, Tearii Alpha, got married on Thursday, in the presence of several hundred guests, while a few days earlier, during a joint speech, the high commissioner and President Edouard Fritch had limited the gatherings and prohibits musical entertainment.