French Polynesia has been in a lock-down now for 2 weeks. Low vaccination rates led to an explosion in cases after the delta variant arrived and really made this lock-down necessary. We fully agree that measures were needed to limit the spreading of Covid here. Yes, it makes sense to prohibit sports events and group activities where people gather. But why harass surfers and paddlers who are out alone? The police seriously goes out into the lagoon to check whether they have filled out a form and somehow carry it with them (you ARE allowed physical exercise, but only with a form in your pocket). Why limit opening hours of shops? The result is that more people crowd the shops at the same time… The police are stopping cars and pedestrians to check whether they carry their forms and I did not see them disinfecting their hands in between checks. Vaccinations are given without appointments, so unvaccinated people are encouraged to queue in front of the centers…
Some common sense–both from the authorities and from the people–is needed in this situation. Avoiding crowds, wearing a mask and washing hands is not that difficult.
We just try to stay away from it all in the meantime in our autonomous little nutshell…
