Mauritius will open its borders on October 2021, XNUMX

The Indian Ocean nation of Mauritius continues its proactive and transparent response to the global COVID crisis, as it prepares to complete the reopening of its borders to vaccinated visitors in a safe and secure manner, on October 2021, XNUMX.

The country has one of the highest rates of full vaccination in Africa, currently at more than 60 percent of the total population (82 percent of the local adult population). The vaccination campaign is ongoing, and its launch will also include those under the age of 18 from the end of September 2021.

The country's modern health service has coped well with the epidemic, implementing robust and strict protocols. The country's successful vaccination program and public health administration has led to lower numbers of patients in hospital - with an average of just over 3% of patients hospitalized over the past 28 days, most of them in health facilities due to comorbidities rather than symptoms suggestive of COVID-XNUMX. It should be noted that the infection rate is closely managed and the recent rise has been steadily declining over the past two weeks.

Dr K. Jagotpal, Minister of Health and Wellness of Mauritius said: “We have adopted a health first approach with strict protocols to protect the population, since the beginning of the pandemic. Our public health services continue to operate at their normal capabilities, with protocols updated where appropriate.”

The doctor also explained that facilities dedicated to the intensive care unit for Covid patients were established at the beginning of the epidemic, and they were strengthened according to the ministry's preparedness plan that was developed in cooperation with the World Health Organization. He added, “We have started airport screening and quarantine for travelers since 2020. Our vaccination process has been systematic, and we have already exceeded our goal of vaccinating adults before fully reopening our borders to vaccinated travelers on October XNUMXst.”

Since the outbreak of the epidemic in Mauritius in March 2020, the country has unfortunately recorded 45 deaths from the virus, out of about 1.3 million people.

"We all have to learn to live with the virus," said Dr Laurent Musango, the local representative of the World Health Organization. The initiation of vaccination in Mauritius has been good and the vaccination rate is high enough to make it safe to now demand the population to resume their normal lives, while respecting the barrier measures. Of course, in the context of a pandemic, there are always more avenues to consider to improve safety, but Mauritius is doing well.”

Non-vaccinated travelers can also travel to Mauritius, subject to a 14-day room quarantine at a state-designated hotel/facility. In line with the "Health First" approach, this protocol will remain the same for unvaccinated travelers when the country reopens on October XNUMX.