France is warning of deteriorating coronavirus conditions in its Caribbean territories of Martinique and Guadeloupe.
Both territories have gone under lockdown with “infection rates that have never been seen not just in these territories but all of France,” Overseas Territories Minister Sébastien Lecornu told AFP, France 24 reported.
“The situation is dramatic,” French President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday during a senior Cabinet ministers meeting.
Martinique is seeing 1,200 cases per 100,000 people due to the delta variant.
The territory is kicking tourists off the island and shutting down all nonessential shopping, while citizens are not allowed to go outside of a 0.6-mile radius around their homes.
Guadeloupe has 1,700 cases per 100,000 people but has not implemented as strict of a lockdown, according to France 24.
“The delta variant is more contagious and is hitting a population that is not well-protected” by a vaccine, Lecornu said.
Other French territories have also been hit by the delta variant, with vaccination rates much lower than in France, which has been struggling with citizen pushback against pandemic restrictions.
Coronavirus vaccine passes are needed to do basic activities in the country, such as eat at a restaurant. The passes have sparked protests that have turned violent, with some vandalizing vaccination centers.
A French Interior Ministry official told Reuters that 22 health facilities, including 15 vaccination centers, have been attacked since July 12.
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