The Minister of Health, Jacques Raynal, held a press conference on 22 December on the subject. Polynesia is still little affected by the new wave of Omicron, but the variant is very contagious. The authorities are preparing their health strategy.The confirmed cases of the Omicron variant identified were imported by tourists, but also by Polynesian residents returning from mainland France or the United States. This “highly contagious” variant is causing a doubling of cases every two days. The local government is calling on the population to be vaccinated.
No containment
To prepare for the proliferation of omicron, the country has decided to reinstate the antigenic test for people arriving at Tahiti-Faa’a airport, as was the case during the intense periods of the Delta variant epidemic. From now on, passengers will have to undergo an antigenic test before the PCR test already in place. Interviewed by our colleagues of Tntv on Wednesday 22 December, the President of the country, Edouard Fritch, also excluded the possibility of a new confinement or a blockage of the country.
