French Polynesian unions threatening with a general strike have failed to bring about the reintroduction of a compulsory quarantine for international arrivals to fight the Covid-19 outbreak.
Dominique Sorain, Edouard Fritch and Teva Rohfritsch Photo: supplied
Last week, five unions warned of strike action today but they decided not to proceed for now as talks are expected to continue.
The unions' call for stricter measures followed a rapid spread of Covid-19 to affect more than 500 people within a month.
However they were told by both the government and the French High Commission that the system put in place in July would remain in order to support the economy and in particular the tourism industry.
Travellers to Tahiti must prove three days before departure that they are coronavirus-free and self-test for the virus on the fourth day of their stay.
The system was put in place in mid-July when flights to and from France and the United States resumed.
A government statement said 17,000 people arrived and 19 cases of Covid-19 were imported.
It also said 95 percent of those required to self-test do so.
It said with about 3000 people arriving each week there would not be enough facilities to provide the quarantine spaces needed.
