France delays vaccine mandate for health workers in Caribbean

By Benoit Van Overstraeten, Sudip Kar-Gupta and Tassilio Hummel | Reuters

PARIS – France has postponed implementing a COVID-19 vaccination mandate for health workers in Martinique and Guadeloupe after the measure spurred widespread protests on the French territories in which police officers were injured and journalists attacked.

The two Caribbean islands have been hit by unrest over the last week after the French government imposed tougher measures to curb the spread of the virus.

Compulsory vaccinations for health workers, a measure already introduced on the French mainland, had fueled resentment among the islands’ majority Black population.

The French health ministry said in a statement after a crisis government meeting on Friday that it had decided to postpone to Dec. 31 “finalizing the implementation of the vaccine mandate” in Martinique and Guadeloupe.

It had put those who refused inoculation on unpaid leave but now says it will give those suspended more time for individual “dialog” with their managers while still getting paid.

Some on the islands have called the mandate a throwback to France’s slavery era, insisting that they should be allowed to make their own choices about health treatment.

The French government meeting came as the riots in Martinique were still ongoing, a source close to the French overseas minister said.

“Last night was clearly more intense than the nights before,” a local spokesman for the French state told Reuters on Friday.

French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said authorities in Martinique and Guadeloupe had made 10 arrests after shots were fired on Thursday night, injuring several people.

Journalists from French television, news and photo agencies were attacked on Thursday night, media group Altice said in a statement, confirming earlier remarks by the minister. One police officer was seriously injured and needed surgery, local authorities said.