Mauritius has declared a nationwide lockdown in a bid to curb the spread of COVID-19. But what will happen when the citizens run out of essentials and need to restock? They can go out to buy, but there’s a catch; shopping is done according to the first letter of their surnames.
Different letters will shop on different days.
With experts discouraging crowding, the government believes this move will enforce social distancing. It will also prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the whole world. Many governments are now passing strict laws to protect their citizens.
A total lockdown while leaving only the essential services running has been some of the measures taken. Businesses deemed as non-essential have had to close.
On the other hand, this has drastically affected the daily routines of people.
Shopping for 30 minutes only
To ensure its citizens will survive the lockdown, the government of Mauritius will allow them to do shopping for essentials.
But the shoppers will have to follow a rota. They will also have a maximum of 30 minutes to do all their shopping.
This will, according to Pravind Jugnauth, the Prime Minister of Mauritius, help enforce social distancing.
According to the directive, the people have been grouped into three. Each group will have two days every week to do their shopping.
Those whose surnames begin with A to F will do their shopping on Mondays and Thursdays. Those whose surnames begin from G to N will shop on Tuesdays and Fridays.
The remaining group of O to Z will shop on Thursdays and Saturdays.
Furthermore, all businesses will remain closed on Sundays. Only the essential businesses will be open during the week.
Currently, Mauritius has at least 161 cases of COVID-19. At least five people have succumbed to the virus. The latest death was that of a 71-year-old man who had been admitted on a Sunday only to die on the following Tuesday.
It is this turn of events that has forced the government of Mauritius to resolve on enforcing a nationwide lockdown. The lockdown is expected to last up to April 15.
Rich in diversity
Mauritius is a relatively small nation by land size. It is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about 1200 miles off the eastern coast of Africa.
It has a population of only about 1.2 million people. In comparison to the size of the country, it is not easy to be congested.
But the government has taken strict measures to eliminate the spread of the Coronavirus.
The nation is made of a multicultural population where almost all of its citizens have moved in from elsewhere.
The people are also multilingual, multi-religion, multi-ethnic, etc. This makes not only makes it rich in diversity but also exposes it to many avenues of bringing in the virus.
As such, the country has imposed a ban on foreign travel to keep the virus at bay.
Mauritius is one of Africa’s most competitive economy. The World Bank has classified it as an upper-middle-income economy. It’s Human Development Index is also categorized as ‘high’.
The population is largely made up of young people.
Though statistics have shown that the young are more likely to successfully fight off a COVID-19 infection, the older population in Mauritius will still need to be protected.
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