While the “strict fortnight” measure in the Overseas Territories has been undermined by the Constitutional Council, the Scientific Council has just confirmed its effectiveness in these departments and territories. The device has proven effective in curbing the spread of the epidemic.
On Monday, May 11, the Constitutional Council examined the law extending the state of emergency. But, he censured the measure establishing a strict fortnight for anyone arriving in the Overseas Territories, believing that this device infringed individual freedoms.
Overall effective measures
This “strict fortnight” system is far from being called into question by the Scientific Council, which, on the contrary, considers it “effective”. In his second opinion issued on May 13, concerning the deconfinement of overseas territories, he returns to this point. ”The isolation of infected people and the follow-up of their contacts have also been put in place. All these measures combined have been effective overall and have limited the epidemic, now making it possible to consider cautious deconfinement in most of the Overseas Territories ”.
Three fortnight and screening options
Thus the Scientific Council specifies that “the health security of overseas territories requires immediately identifying and isolating arrivals with symptoms suggestive of Covid-19, and to resort to quarantine and systematic screening for Covid-19 among other travelers ”.
To do this, the authority recommends three options for quarantine and screening of travelers:
- Fortnight in dedicated structure. “It is currently practiced in several overseas territories. This strategy is the one that ensures the best prevention of the introduction of new cases of Covid-19 in the territories. It should be favored, as much as possible, with regard to the need for health security ”.
- Fortnight at home. “With the increase in the flow of travelers, dedicated reception facilities will no longer be sufficient everywhere to accommodate all arrivals. In the presence of good reception conditions at home, that is to say allowing physical distancing and compliance with barrier measures, a fortnight at home supervised will be a possible option ”.
- Half-fortnight before and after trip. “Establish a strict home containment period of seven days prior to travel, followed by a strict home containment period of seven days on arrival overseas. The Scientific Council considers this option as acceptable but draws attention to an increased risk of Covid-19, if it is not strictly applied, and to the risk linked to the breaking of the fortnight during the trip ”.
Do not relax and strengthen the current health system
The Scientific Council again distinguishes three groups of territories with different epidemic situations:
- growing epidemic : Mayotte
- declining epidemic : Guadeloupe, Guyana, Reunion, Martinique, French Polynesia, Saint-Martin
- no or no epidemics : New Caledonia, Saint-Barthélemy, Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, Wallis-et-Futuna
Saint-Martin is positioned in the second group where the epidemic is on the decline. According to scientists' forecasts, ”It is possible to envisage the disappearance of the cases of Covid-19 in the weeks or months to come. The priority, in this period of progressive deconfinement, is therefore not to relax, or even strengthen, the current health system for screening, isolating patients and active monitoring of contact persons, just as in metropolitan France ”.
The Scientific Council therefore recommends, for Saint-Martin de " increase the frequency of passenger transport only from June, favoring family reunification and business travel ”.
The measure of "strict fortnight" for each person arriving in the Overseas Territories and therefore in Saint-Martin, will be the subject of new decrees “in the next few days“, Announced last Tuesday the Minister of Overseas, Annick Girardin.
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