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As the fateful date set for the opening of air borders approaches, October 1, the controversy swells. On the one hand, we find the alarmists who are scrambling to force the government to postpone the opening date, and on the other, the supporters of the opening at all costs. The skeptics who think that the opening will not necessarily lead to a strong comeback of tourists and the convinced who anticipate the arrival of 200,000 to 350,000 tourists by the end of the year. Emotion and passion are confronted with reason and realists.
The United States Center for Disease Control has added fuel to the fire by issuing a Class 4 warning for Mauritius to Americans wanting to travel, as part of the international press plays prophets of misfortune by dramatizing the health crisis on the island. Many people in Mauritius are not convinced by the volubility of government communicators, whom they consider to be “spin doctors” who do not tell the whole truth about the real situation of the pandemic and the number of deaths due to Covid -19. The opposition believes that they are practicing opacity and are loudly calling for greater transparency. The opposition parties believe that the government is no longer in control of the situation.
In fact, what is the situation? As of yesterday afternoon, the country had 4,697 positive cases and 99 deaths, including 38 directly related to Covid. The virus does not only affect the dormitories of factories, but also schools, even the “special mobile”, where 16 cases have been recorded this week. The average number of cases recorded on a daily basis remains above 150. In virtually every company, employees know at least one positive colleague. It is true that vaccination is progressing rapidly, as 844,306 people had obtained the first dose on Friday and 785,280 both doses. Ministry of Health officials are currently telephoning the elderly who are being followed by doctors to make sure they have been vaccinated. Which is a good initiative.
There is also the economic truth. Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth said this week that the country is on its knees. His deputy, Steven Obeegadoo, brandished the economic danger on Thursday. He says the reopening will save 100,000 jobs in the tourism industry. Otherwise, according to the latter, it will be the collapse of the hotel sector, which brings on average Rs 63 billion in the country annually. At the level of the private sector, we observe that the opening of borders does not only concern the tourist industry. Several other sectors, including the international financial center, depend on it. According to one observer, if the CDC’s matrix was applied to the United States, that country would also have been in the red. In addition, the recorded Covid rate did not prevent several European economies from deciding to open up.
Taking into account on the one hand the health situation due to Covid and, on the other hand, the economic situation, some believe that the campaign of the MTPA through its website, which compares Mauritius to the situation in Africa, is inelegant towards our African partners. Instead, she should have simply been telling the truth by saying that “yes, we have a virus outbreak right now, but we are doing everything to control it and to ensure the health safety of visitors, who by the way need to be. vaccinated before coming to Mauritius ”.
Moreover, no one expects tourists to rush to come to Mauritius as soon as the borders open. The Executive Vice-President and Executive Director of Lux Collective observed in a recent interview that in August only a quarter of the available seats had been reserved for October, i.e. 52,000, and a third of our seat capacity. had been sold for December. “We expect a gradual increase next year. In addition, there will be no all-out finish. Tourists will be tested on arrival and those who are not vaccinated will be taken to quarantine. The fear about openness may be overblown at this point. Either way, you have to learn to live with the Covid.
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