24 Jun 2020

French court to rule on New Caledonia quarantine

8:43 am on 24 June 2020

A ruling is expected in New Caledonia on whether a woman quarantined in government-run accommodation is allowed to go home.

Coronavirus structure. Computer illustration showing a coronavirus with the RNA (ribonucleic acid) inside and proteins on the surface.

Photo: AFP

According to a report in the Nouvelles Caledoniennes, the case is before the French Supreme Court after a judge in Noumea rejected her bid to leave the assigned hotel.

The woman's lawyer wants the French rules to be applied which would allow her to have the option of self-isolation at home.

The individual criticised the restrictions in the hotel, including a lack of access to mental health care.

A similar challenge was successfully mounted in French Polynesia where two confined returnees from France were permitted to go home after going to court.

Last week, the obligatory confinement period for people arriving in New Caledonia was shortened from three to two weeks.