Republic of Mauritius- No new Covid-19 cases reported in Mauritius over last three days

This evening, the information was shared, during the daily press briefing of the National Communication Committee on the Covid-19 by its spokesperson, Dr Zouberr Joomaye, through videoconference from his residence.  Figures released are:

·         Three hundred and seventy tests were conducted today

·         Nine deaths have been recorded as at now

·         Two patients are currently on ventilator

·         Three Covid-19 patients have left for treatment abroad

·         Three persons have agreed to donate their blood for the plasmapheresis treatment

·         Number of persons in quarantine stands at 282 out of which, 228 are health personnel from the Ministry of Health and Wellness and the remaining 54 are passengers

The spokesperson remarked that the current situation has remained unchanged and stable over the past three days with no new Covid-19 cases reported during this period in Mauritius.  In the region, countries, namely Madagascar, Reunion and Seychelles, are also witnessing the same trend.  This is due to the fact that as an island we are isolated from the rest of the world and because of the lockdown, there are no imported cases, he indicated.  Another important factor is that citizens are adhering to the rule of social distancing, he stated. 

However, he cautioned, the population has to continue take all necessary sanitary precautions as the virus is still very much present in the country.  The curfew scheduled to end on 4 May 2020 is also maintained, he emphasised.  The Government, he assured, is closely monitoring the evolution of the outbreak on an hourly basis and citizens have to remain vigilant at all times.

For his part, the Attorney General, Minister of Agro-Industry and Food Security, Mr Maneesh Gobin, who also intervened during the press briefing from his residence, gave an overview of the situation with regard to the channels of distribution of two basic vegetables, that is potatoes and onions, and the prices set by the Ministry of Commerce and Consumer Protection.

According to him, distribution of these commodities has been disrupted due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 in Mauritius and therefore is restricted but is being organised on a daily basis. From 1^st March to 15 April 2020, he pointed out, 2403 tons of potatoes and 1885 tons of onions have been delivered by the Agriculture Marketing Board (AMB) to registered dealers.

The Minister further highlighted that hypermarkets, supermarkets and other retailers have been encouraged to take delivery of those products directly from the AMB.  Moreover, he called upon medium and small retailers to organise themselves as groups to take delivery of their stock and to follow procedures accordingly.

The Minister warned that malpractices of wholesalers and registered dealers pertaining to price abuse will be severely sanctioned.  Inspectors from the Ministry of Commerce and Consumer Protection, and the Ministry of Agro-Industry and Food Security are closely monitoring the situation. 

Mauritius disposes of an adequate stock of both products and has taken delivery of 400 tons last week and a new stock has arrived today, he said.  The Minister also made an appeal to citizens to start growing their own vegetables and observed that if the current health crisis persists globally then there will be repercussions on the stock in the future.

#ResOuLakaz     #BeSafeMoris