Page 15 - November 2021 IB FINAL

Pacific Health Pacific Health

return of Air Tahiti Nui will allow the resumption of hotel stays COVID-19, but the Administrative Tribunal in French Polynesia
that will begin to reopen from 10 July, with a rise in tourism has ruled that some local regulations are illegal under French
activity from 15 July.” law. The French Constitution guarantees rights to “public
However the relaxation of border restrictions led to a wave freedoms” and so French state jurisdiction can override local
of COVID cases throughout the second half of 2020, peaking French Polynesian laws around diverse pandemic responses
with 1,324 cases on 2 November and a seven day average of (border controls, quarantine, lockdowns, curfews, and “vac-
391 cases per day. cination passports”).
With constantly changing health restrictions, the economic
data for 2020 was grim. The statistics office Institut Statis- New Caledonia faces new wave
tique de la Polynésie française (ISPF) reported a 7.6% drop in The links between coronavirus and colonialism have been
GDP (the highest level for any French overseas collectivity). highlighted during this pandemic. While larger independent
There was massive loss of employment in the tourism sector nations like Fiji and Papua New Guinea have seen major
and the export of goods and services was halved by year’s surges of COVID-19, many smaller island states have remained
end. Poorer members of the community were hit by a 5% de- largely COVID-free since the beginning of the pandemic.
cline in household consumption. The national airline Air Tahiti In contrast, US and French territories like Guahan (Guam),
Nui lost 8 billion CFP Pacific francs (US$76 million) during the French Polynesia and New Caledonia have seen significant
year, requiring a 2021 bail out by the French government. numbers of cases. French Polynesia currently ranks 23rd out
Economic data for 2021 will likely to reveal ongoing problems, of more than 220 countries and territories across the globe for
despite greater economic activity this year. deaths per capita, according to the World Health Organisation
(New Caledonia ranked 82nd, Fiji 94th).
Responding to Delta Like New Caledonia, French Polynesia is listed as a non-
The July 2021 visit to French Polynesia by President self-governing territory by the United Nations, and falls under
Emanuel Macron led to another surge of the highly contagious the mandate of the UN Special Committee on Decolonisation.
Delta variant. The French President visited Tahiti, the Austral During the pandemic, the United Nations has called on admin-
islands and Hiva Oa in the Marquesas Islands, the first ever istering powers like France to take particular responsibility for
visit to this outlying archipelago by a sitting French President. the health and well-being of people in their territories.
With very few cases in the three previous months, the On 25 August, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said:
transmission of the virus increased as large crowds gathered “I welcome and encourage efforts by the administering pow-
to organise street rallies and cultural performances to wel- ers to distribute vaccines to the territories. We must ensure
come the President and his large entourage – local politicians, that no one and no territories are left behind in the fight
officials, journalists, security and police officers. This four against the pandemic.”
day visit appeared to contribute to the spread of coronavirus Unlike French Polynesia’s 2004 Statute of Autonomy, the
outside Tahiti. President Macron visited the isolated atoll of legislation enacting New Caledonia’s 1998 Noumea Accord is
Manihi, which was COVID-free, but days after, the nurse on entrenched in the French Constitution. The transfer of powers
Manihi reported the first ever case of COVID-19 amongst vil- from Paris to Noumea under the Noumea accord has given
lagers. In the month after Macron left Tahiti on 28 July, there local authorities some levels of greater authority, and New
were 19,481 new cases and 170 deaths. Caledonia managed to avoid large numbers of cases through-
Despite all these challenges, the local health department out 2020.
has been maintaining extensive programs of community As the SARS-Cov-2 novel coronavirus began spreading
education and outreach, explaining the importance of masks, around the Pacific, the government of New Caledonia estab-
physical distancing and health monitoring. lished strict quarantine systems to hold arriving travellers at
Starting in January 2021, a major vaccination program has the border (even France’s Overseas Minister was forced to
reached out to people across French Polynesia’s five archi- stay in hotel quarantine on arrival during visits to the Melane-
pelagos – by November, 68% of the population aged above 12 sian nation). Less reliance on tourism also lessened the eco-
were double vaccinated. Nurses and community educators nomic blow compared to French Polynesia. Despite a ban on
have run grassroots programs to encourage the vaccine-hesi- cruise ships and disruption to overseas arrivals, New Caledonia
tant to visit their doctor, with Miss Tahiti 2021 Tumateata Buis- managed to rapidly revive its crucial mining industry, allowing
son rolling up her sleeve for a jab to highlight the importance export of nickel ore and metal to markets in Asia.
of vaccination. The government, however faced significant
resistance to proposals for mandatory vaccination, prompting Disruption of referendum campaigning
public protests against significant fines and restrictions for the Unfortunately, New Caledonia’s successful management of
unvaccinated. health and economic challenges during 2020 has not lasted.
Another complication for the COVID response is that laws Over the last three months, there has been a massive surge
and regulations passed by the Assembly of French Polynesia of the Delta variant, with more than 11,500 cases and 270
can be overridden by French law or interpreted and rejected recorded deaths since 6 September, in a territory of just
by French courts.
Paris and Papeete have both issued decrees in response to Continued on page 21

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