The Indian Ocean island nation of Mauritius continues with its proactive and transparent response to the global Covid crisis, as it prepares to reopen its borders to fully vaccinated visitors, but in a safe and secure manner, on October 1.

 

The country has one of the highest fully vaccinated rates in Africa, currently standing at over 60 per cent of the overall population (82% of the local adult population), said a statement from Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority.

 

The vaccination campaign is ongoing, and the rollout will also include those below 18 years from the end of September 2021, it added.

 

Minister of Health and Wellness Dr K. Jagutpal said: “We adopted a health-first approach with strict protocols to protect the population, from the beginning of the pandemic. Our public health services continue to operate to their normal capacity, with protocols being updated when relevant. 

 

“We instituted airport screening and the quarantining of travellers since 2020. Our vaccination rollout has been systematic, and we have already exceeded our target of fully vaccinated adults well ahead of the complete reopening of our borders to vaccinated travelers on October 1,” he noted.

 

The nation’s health service has coped well throughout the pandemic, implementing strong protocols. The country’s vaccination programme and overall health management resulted in very low hospitalisation numbers – an average of just over 3% hospitalised patients over the last 28 days, most of them being in health facilities because of associated comorbidities rather than Covid-19 suggestive symptoms.

 

The local representative of the World Health Organisation Dr Laurent Musango said: “We now have to learn to live with Covid-19. The vaccination rollout in Mauritius was good and the vaccination rate high enough to make it safe to now ask the population to resume their normal lives, while respecting barrier measures.

 

“Of course, in the context of a pandemic, there are always more avenues to be considered to optimise safety, but Mauritius is doing well,” he added.

 

Unvaccinated travellers can travel to Mauritius, subject to a 14 days in-room quarantine in a state designated hotel/facility, stated Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority.

 

This same protocol for unvaccinated travellers will remain when the country reopens for tourists on October 1, it added.-TradeArabia News Service