This overseas territory had voted on September 3 in favor of compulsory vaccination for so-called “sensitive” sectors as at October 31st and for the entire population at 31 December.
Le Monde with AFP
Demonstrations, blockages and notice of strike … The discontent expressed for a few days in New Caledonia by several unions and associations AntiVax, but also by some Kanak officials, was heard. Saturday, October 23, the local executive announced the postponement of October 31 to December 31, 2021 of the vaccination obligation in the so-called “sensitive” sectors (health, transport, law enforcement, media …).
“The application of the deliberation generates tensions within the companies, to the point of calling into question the internal cohesion”, said President of the collegial government, Louis Mapou, on the sidelines of a round table bringing together the government, elected officials and social partners.
New Caledonia voted on September 3 in favor of compulsory vaccination for “sensitive” sectors as at October 31st and for the entire population as at December 31st.
“A BETWEEN DANGEROUS” ”
Other measures have been put in place to contain the epidemic, particularly virulent since 6 September in this overseas territory.
The sanitary pass was set up on October 11, allowing the adaptation of the confinement, which remains in effect on the weekend until the end of October.
During the weekdays, a suitable confinement, decided until the end of October, is in place and allows the opening of non-essential shops. Bars, theaters, casinos, cinemas and discotheques remain, on the contrary, closed. Any gathering more than fifteen people is also forbidden.
The baccalaureate tests, the patent of colleges and BTS were canceled and will be replaced by continuous control assessments. In New Caledonia, the school calendar being stalled over the Summer Summer, the year runs from mid-February to mid-December.
Currently, 55.2% of the total New Caledonian population has a complete vaccination scheme. The incidence rate is down, as well as hospital pressure, but the authorities fear a rebound. “We are in a dangerous between”, warned Louis Mapou. More than 250 people have died since the beginning of September on this territory.