French territory of Martinique enters new lockdown to tackle COVID crisis
PARIS, Aug 10 (Reuters) - France's overseas territory of Martinique will enter a tougher lockdown for three weeks from Tuesday to tackle a COVID-19 outbreak on the West Indian island, a local government official said on Twitter.
Martinique had already imposed an evening curfew, but the tougher lockdown, set to start from 7 p.m., will shutter shops selling items that are not essential, such as food, as well as closing beaches and clamping down on people's movements.
Administrative authorities in Martinique also advised tourists to leave the island.
Last weekend, French health minister Olivier Veran appealed for volunteer doctors and nurses to travel to the overseas territories of Guadeloupe and Martinique as a wave of COVID infections overwhelms hospitals on the two Caribbean islands.
Guadeloupe and France's island of La Reunion in the Indian Ocean have also imposed curbs against the virus.
(Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
