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Mauritius suspended incoming commercial flights from midnight on Saturday until further notice, after six local cases of Covid-19 were detected in two days, said Health Minister Kailesh Jagutpal.
The aim of the move is to free up space for people to be quarantined after a contact tracking process, Jagutpal told reporters in the capital, Port Louis. The suspension of flights would give the ministry breathing space while distributing vaccines to the population, he said.
The island nation of the Indian Ocean is due to start a general vaccination program on Monday after inoculating frontline workers and the elderly. People who land in Mauritius must go through a 14-day quarantine, during which they are tested for the virus.
“The decision will be reviewed based on test results and contact tracking,” said Jagutpal.
Mauritius begins vaccination of Covid-19 for frontline employees
Before the last cases were detected, all infections in Mauritius had occurred among people arriving from abroad.
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