Three more covid-19 deaths have been recorded in New Caledonia eight days after it was plunged sharply into the pandemic.
Official government figures as of today show 4 deaths and 1150 confirmed cases of covid-19 recorded since the delta variant outbreak began on September 6.
Until then there had been no covid-19 deaths in the French Pacific territory and only 136 infections recorded during two previous outbreaks.
There were 329 new cases reported in the 24 hours leading up to Tuesday and 15 people with the virus are in intensive care.
A curfew between 9 pm and 5 am has been put in place until midnight on Monday, September 27.
The government of New Caledonia has put out a public appeal for assistance to all medical personnel in the country, including retirees.
So far 112,334 people in New Caledonia have had their first covid-19 vaccination jab and 77,109 people have had both doses. The territory has a population of 288,000.
Borders closed
According to the government, this translates to 28.45 percent of the population who have so far been fully vaccinated against covid-19.
Following the outbreak, New Caledonia Tourism has been advising travellers that the territory’s borders have been closed off until December 31 and entry by plane or by boat remains strictly controlled.
It said all international passenger flights have been suspended, except for the transport of medical workers.
This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.
