All citizens are urged to remain vigilant and act responsibly by adhering to strict sanitary measures with the second phase of reopening as at 01 May 2021.
The Minister of Finance, Dr Renganaden Padayachy, the Minister of Energy and Public Utilities, Mr. Georges Pierre Lesjongard, and the spokesperson of the National Communication Committee on Covid-19, Dr Zouberr Joomaye, all made the same plea, this evening on the national television.
Dr Zouberr Joomaye underlined that the lifting of the national lockdown has been enabled by the effective control over the COVID-19 propagation. Till now some 570 positive cases have been detected, 450 patients have received treatment and there are currently 111 active cases, he said.
He lauded the effort of the population in helping to curb the spread of the coronavirus and dwelt on key measures that helped to curtail the propagation of COVID-19.
We still need the population to adhere to strict sanitary measures that are legal obligations that will now form part of our new normal, he stressed.
Vaccination will be a game changer for the country, as it will enable herd immunity that will protect the population against the coronavirus and enable the reopening of the country’s borders as well as allow the tourism sector to operate again.
The Government is doing its best to inoculate the maximum number of persons, with a target of 60 %. So far some 208 500 persons have received their first vaccine dose, and 33 000 their second dose. Sinopharm vaccine is being used in national vaccine programme, and some 50 000 are expected to be inoculated with it.
A vaccination campaign for school staffs and those working directly with students has kickstarted to enable school to resume in the best conditions.
As for Minister Lesjongard, he affirmed that the population is better prepared to face the challenges brough forth by the COVID-19 situation.
He recalled that Government has elaborated a well-defined strategy to act promptly and efficiently by making provision for the necessary equipment, human resources and measures to better handle the situation.
According to him, adapting to the new normal requires strict discipline notably in the continued adherence to sanitary measures and the control of movement of people to better control the sanitary situation.
He called upon elderly persons and those aged under 18 to avoid going out.
He underlined the sacrifice and devotion of frontliners, including health care workers, police force, garbage collectors and supermarket employees, along with their families.
Their spirit of sacrifice and devotion should be respected and shared among all citizens so that we can all overcome the challenges related to the pandemic.
Dr Renganaden Padayachy stressed that the pandemic has impacted on our socioeconomic activities as it has affected human movement which is essential for economic activities.
The expected GDP for June 2021 was around Rs 550 billion but will be Rs 440 billion, which represents a contraction of 20 %.
He highlighted that Government has implemented a whole series of strategies to ensure the continuity of certain economic activities to enable service delivery and production of essential activities and provided support to companies to continue to operate to avoid bankruptcy and unemployment.
He announced that the Budget 2021- 2022, will focus on measures for economic recovery and economy reform to pave the way to the country’s economic development and growth.
Source: Government Information Service
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