Mauritius on Wednesday declared a wary victory in its first battle with COVID-19, saying that it had “zero” coronavirus patients and had not documented a new case in 17 days.
The Indian Ocean nation initially surged ahead of other eastern African countries in terms of cases, hitting a peak of 332 at almost six weeks into its outbreak — 10 people died.
The nation imposed one of the first and strictest lockdowns in Africa, going so far as to initially shut supermarkets for 10 days, a measure that has been extended until June 1.
Photo: AFP
“Today, we are at 17 days without a new case. Mauritius now has zero active cases,” Mauritian Minister of Health and Wellness Kailesh Jagutpal said in an address on national television. “We have won the battle thanks to the cooperation of the public, who understood that the government needed to take extreme measures, including complete confinement, and the closure of supermarkets and our borders. But we have not yet won the war. Let’s remain vigilant.”
From today, a limited selection of essential stores such as bakeries, butcheries and fishmongers are to be reopened, but most businesses, bars, shopping centers and markets are to remain shut.
Schools are to remain closed until Aug. 1, the nation’s beaches are to remain off limits, and no more than 10 people are to be allowed to attend weddings and funerals.
Independent epidemiologist Deoraj Caussy said that Mauritius needs to remain on alert.
“It is imperative to use random sampling and continue to test... Zero active cases does not mean that it is over and life is returning to normal,” Caussy said.
The government is busy debating two pieces of legislation — the COVID bill and the quarantine bill — which would legislate aspects of the eventual lifting of the lockdown and planned return to normal of all activity from June 2.
However, the laws have come under fire from unions and member of the public who say that they weaken individual freedoms and workers’ rights.
Among the changes considered are those that would allow employers to fire workers with one month’s salary and on short notice, while another change would allow police to enter a home without a warrant.
A statement from a collective of unions in the country warned that social discontent remains confined, but that it “could erupt like a social volcano at any moment.”
“We still need to make sacrifices to return to a semblance of normalcy,” Mauritian Attorney General and Minister of Agro-Industry and Food Security Maneesh Gobin said. “We are counting on the understanding of the population to not let their guard down.”
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