New Caledonia on Thursday repealed the vaccination obligation, which had been decided at the beginning of September for sensitive sectors and the general population, taking into account the “new health context”, noted AFP.
“There is a new health context in New Caledonia and in the world. We must give back to Caledonians the freedom of this choice of vaccination even if we are not opposed to it”, declared Virginie Ruffenach, elected from the Rassemblement- LR (non-independence right).
The text was adopted by the permanent committee of the Congress, which sits during the intersessions, with 8 votes out of 11, a part of the non-independence supporters having opposed it. About 150 antivax activists gathered outside the building.
Calédonie ensemble (center right, EC) denounced “a very serious fault with regard to the Caledonian people”, deploring in particular the lack of consultation “of the administrative, customary, medical and scientific authorities”.
“It is a catastrophic signal while vaccination remains the number one weapon to fight once morest the virus”, protested Philippe Michel, leader of the CE group, who had filed a preliminary motion to obtain the adjournment of the debates.
This decision comes following Caledonian elected officials had already twice postponed the deadlines for the deliberation on the vaccination obligation, voted unanimously on September 3.
This introduced an obligation to vaccinate without sanction for the entire adult population and with sanction for professionals in sensitive sectors and people at risk. These sanctions were to apply on February 28, but caused controversy.
Calédonien ensemble also deplored that this local repeal of the vaccination obligation also entails that imposed on any traveler wishing to come to New Caledonia.
Legal work is underway to reorganize the health protocol on arrival (tests, confinement), the authorities said.
Having remained free of Covid-19 for a long time, New Caledonia recorded its first local cases last September and is currently observing a gradual decline in contamination due to the Omicron variant.
The epidemic has so far killed 299 people while 178,916 people have received two doses of vaccine (66% of the total population) and 82,641 have had a booster.
