428 cases in Rodrigues and 116 in Mauritius. According to the Minister of Health, 90% of the cases are of the Omicron variant. Mauritius also recorded 67 admissions to regional hospitals and 1 to New ENT Hospital. However, the Covid 19 news is dominated by the measure of the Minister of Labour, Human Resource Development and Training regarding the new regulations of the Quarantine Act 2020, Government Notice No. 37 of 2022, that is the paid or refunded ‘special leave’ which has been ‘gazetted’ on Saturday 12th February.
What they offer
All employees will be entitled to paid leave on the day of their Covid 19 vaccination. As proof to their employer, they will have to show their vaccination card where these details are recorded. The same goes for all those who have been vaccinated since 24 January and who will claim this leave. As for the leave following self-isolation, the person will be paid but the days will be deducted from their sick leave or annual leaves (sick leave or local leave). The same applies to a person who is refused access to their workplace. However, if the person has already used up all his leaves or if he has not received the employer’s agreement, the leaves will not be paid. These measures concern all those governed by the Workers’ Rights Act and the Remuneration Regulations under the Employment Relations Act, including employees with a basic salary not exceeding a total of Rs 600,000 per year.
The current situation
Contamination in Rodrigues is gaining ground at lightning speed. In the last 24 hours, 428 new positive cases have been reported. In Mauritius, the rate of positive cases is fluctuating from 224 on Monday 14 February to 116 cases on Tuesday. But as Minister Kailesh Jagutpal has stated reassuringly on Monday, “In the coming weeks, 100% of the contaminations will be linked to the Omicron variant… In Rodrigues, the Delta is almost non-existent as it is the Omicron that affects the island“. The Omicron is certainly more contaminating but less dangerous than the Delta variant and there are only very few cases that require admission to hospital. The Ministry of Health is very reassuring and optimistic about the pandemic situation, with the Minister even announcing “if we see no variants emerging in the next few weeks and the continued dominance of the Omicron variant, we will consider easing the existing restrictions“. According to the latest release, of the 28,408 infections since March 2021, 25,334 people are cured. As for vaccination, 993,298 people have received the first dose, 947,467 the second and 412,802 the third/booster dose.
Tragic death
On Sunday 13 February, an 87-year-old man living in Residence La Cure, who was COVID-positive, was found dead by the roadside in Vallée-des-Prêtres. The medical examiner, Dr Ananda Sunnassee, attributed his death to pneumonia caused by Covid-19.
Reunion Island – revised travel conditions
These new travel conditions concern both those coming from and going to the sister island. Vaccinated passengers, from the age of 12, are required to present a complete vaccination pass and a negative PCR test less than 24 hours old.
Non-vaccinated passengers will travel only for a compelling reason and a negative test less than 24 hours old. They will also have to present a declaration that they agree to a screening test being carried out once they arrive in the country and that they undertake to isolate themselves for a period of seven days. These documents must be presented at check-in and at boarding. “The list of compelling reasons depends on the area in which the virus is circulating”, said the Prefect of Réunion.
