Transcript
WZ: To begin with there appears to have been a communications failure in the sense that new tighter measures were decided and publicised but their roll-out was delayed without letting the public know.
DW: What was announced to begin with?
WZ: As of the beginning of this month, anyone wanting to fly to Tahiti was supposed to produce a medical certificate no more than five days old proving they are free from the coronavirus. That, it was announced, also applied to airline crew.
DW: Wasn't it enforced?
WZ: There were immediate reports from travellers, who said they could check in in the US without being asked for any such certificate. The observation was shared via social media and within days the government clarified that it had deferred the restrictions until this week. However it missed advising the general public about its change of mind.
DW: Is this now resolved?
WZ: In a way it has but more questions have been raised. For example, is such a certificate a legal requirement? And here the French Polynesian government was forced to concede that by law It cannot deny entry to a French citizen. This is so because French Polynesia is France despite it being an autonomous territory. This means that it is essentially a traveller's sense of responsibility to keep others safe. Interesting is the publicised case of a couple that spent hundreds of dollars in the US getting a check-up but whose certificate wasn't checked. They also pointed out that of course the virus can be picked up after seeing a doctor.
DW: So what are the expectations then?
WZ: Travellers first had to prove that they are virus free if they have been to Asia's main countries, such as China, India, the Philippines and Japan. This list has been extended to new hotspots, such as Italy and Iran. Air Tahiti Nui has now decided to have medical staff at most of its points of embarkment to check the temperature of travellers.
DW: What about cruise ship tourists? What rules apply to them?
WZ: Since late last month cruise ship operators touring the South Pacific now also must advise the French Polynesian authorities 48 hours before arriving that nobody onboard has the virus. Cruise ship operators are also obliged to skip stops in zones declared to be at risk, which means Asian countries.
DW: Are there any specific measures in place in regard to Asia?
WZ: At the start of outbreak, French Polynesia suspended, for one month, the work permits of locally-employed Chinese workers who are currently in China. And fearing the spread of the virus via animals, dog imports from Hong Kong have been stopped.
DW: How worried are the authorities?
WZ: It's hard to tell. There was initially alarm on social media and eventually the government responded more visibly by announcing it would give briefings every other day. The authorities are aware that the virus could be a serious threat because many people have compromised health as the incidence of diabetes is high. As a counterpoint, the pro-independence leader Oscar Temaru has downplayed the contamination risk. He said it helped if people practiced therapeutic fasting while there is a full moon.
