Change and change everywhere! All of this points to the fact that, in the end, we will have to worry less about Covid 19 and now know how to live with it and better manage undesirable situations. The vaccines already help in having fewer symptomatic and serious cases. According to the government, the country’s economy depends on it while the full and unrestricted reopening of our border is imminent. The Digital Vaccination Pass will soon become a reality at the end of this month.
Education
The school resumption is planned for the 13th September. From this Monday until 15 October, the “staggered classes” will be maintained, i.e., some classes over three days and others over two days. But after this date, the second part of the second term will require face-to-face classes for all. And best of all, no school will close should a Covid positive child be detected. The contaminated pupil will be taken in charge and a disinfection exercise of his room will follow.
The general population
The quarantine protocols have undergone a major change whereby it is no longer applied to asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic vaccinated individuals. For the majority, around 3,040 persons, the quarantine is being carried out at home in isolation with a follow-up by the Home Monitoring Unit via telephone and an on-site visit by a doctor and his assistant. The unvaccinated and various special cases amount to about 533 cases and are placed in ENT Hospital, in some hospitals and quarantine centres/hotels. Other changes in the protocols are for the Covid positive cases but suffering from other health problems, they will be admitted to hospitals other than ENT and will be placed in rooms specially allocated for them to avoid saturation at the main treatment centre, i.e. the ENT Hospital.
Another change is that the burials of positive patients will be the responsibility of the funeral service companies.
Third dose coming soon
In addition, those, who have a complete vaccination schedule, will have to go through a third dose soon. For the time being, it will be for those who have been inoculated with Sinopharm and the Minister has just received a shipment of 500,000 doses offered by the Republic of China for this purpose. The other vaccines are being studied for the duration of their effect in the body of the inoculated to estimate their third dose.
Tourists unrestricted in October
For the time being, passengers visiting our country are obliged to go through a quarantine period, vaccinated or not, the only difference being that the vaccinated are in the Bubble Resort and the unvaccinated are confined to a room for 10 to 14 days. But as of 1st October, this changes with unrestricted access to the country for the vaccinated with negative PCR tests. They are not required to book into a Resort Bubble, except for a PCR test on days 1, 7 and 14. For the unvaccinated, the protocols remain unchanged. The travel restriction is now lifted for those coming from Brazil and South Africa or having transited through these countries in the last 15 days before entering Mauritius. These two countries were on the list of countries banned from entering Mauritius. This ban, which was due to expire at the end of January this year, was extended until this September. They will have the same rights as other ‘passengers’.
Compulsory Vaccination Sectors
As far as hotels are concerned, they will all be open. Every employee in any tourist sector is obliged to be vaccinated, including small establishments, B&Bs, restaurants, discotheques and pubs, in short, any place likely to attract crowds. Access will be possible upon presentation of proof of vaccination by QR code.
In addition, the vaccination obligation concerns the following sectors: Health, Education, Aviation, Maritime and Homes, dormitory residents, police force, firefighters, hairdressers and beauty salon staff, fitness centre staff and all activities related to the tourism industry and registered with the Tourism Authority including restaurants, pubs, nightclubs, pleasure boats among others. Safety, by vaccine, is ensured.
Digital Vaccine Card in late September
With all these changes, comes the digitisation of the Vaccine Card, which will be a must for accessing, let’s face it, just about everywhere, be it administrative, hospital and entertainment areas. It will be accessible on the BeSafe Moris platform as soon as the forms are digitised. The Minister of ICT has announced this for the end of September.
The government has already exceeded its target for herd immunity, with 66% of the entire population vaccinated and 62% having received their two doses. Adolescents between 12 and 17 will start their vaccinations at Pfizer very soon. Thanks to the vaccines, the opening of borders, despite the risks that will always be lurking like contamination to variants, will be more manageable!
