31 Jan 2022 | 03:41 AM UTC
New Caledonia: Officials extend COVID-19 restrictions until at least Feb. 27 /update 24
New Caledonia maintaining COVID-19 controls until Feb. 27. Domestic quarantine times reduced. Border controls continue.
Event
New Caledonia officials have extended restrictions until at least Feb. 27 amid ongoing COVID-19 concerns.
Domestic Measures
The government limits most gatherings to 30 people; outdoor events and demonstrations may take place with up to 500 people with facemasks and other protocols. Places of worship must restrict attendance to half of capacity. A facemask mandate continues for people 11 years old and above in public areas. Professional meetings can also occur with more than 50 people if videoconferencing is impossible with additional protocols. The government no longer requires employers to permit telecommuting but encourages it. Businesses, such as markets, hotels, and other essential outlets, may operate with health protocols.
Officials require a health pass for high-risk settings. Individuals must be fully vaccinated, test negative for COVID-19 in the previous 24 hours, or a positive COVID-19 test in the previous 11 days to six months to obtain a health pass. The government requires a third vaccine "booster" dose within seven months of the second dose to maintain a health pass for people 18 years old and above. The requirement is also in place within two months for anyone that received a Janssen single-dose vaccine. The government permits bars, nightclubs, and gambling establishments, dine-in service at restaurants, sports facilities, cultural buildings, theaters, and professionally organized events up to 65-percent capacity under the health pass scheme. Health passes are also mandatory for intercity, inter-island, and other domestic air or maritime travel. People without a pass may still visit essential stores and use local transport and food takeaway services.
Authorities require fully vaccinated COVID-19 cases to self-quarantine for seven days; people can exit quarantine with a negative test result on day 5. People that are not fully vaccinated have to self-quarantine for 10 days if they test positive but can leave after day 7 with a negative test result. People must be asymptomatic for 48 hours to leave quarantine early. Fully vaccinated designated close contacts of COVID-19 cases do not have to quarantine but must self-test on days 2 and 4 after notification. Un- or partially vaccinated close contacts must self-quarantine for seven days and receive a negative test result before exiting.
Demonstrations against the extension of restrictions or vaccination mandates are possible, particularly in Noumea and other main towns. Activists could block roads in some locations, leading to localized transport disruptions. Officials could disperse any demonstration that violates gathering restrictions.
International Travel Restrictions
New Caledonia permits entry for travelers fully vaccinated with the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca, or Janssen/Johnson and Johnson doses and unvaccinated minors 17 years old or younger. Vaccinated arrivals must provide a negative result from a PCR test taken within 72 hours or antigen test taken 48 hours or less before departure. Other travelers must prove a compelling reason for entry; permitted unvaccinated entrants must take an antigen or PCR test within 24 hours before departure. French nationals resident in other areas of the Pacific can transit the territory. All entrants age 12 and above must complete an entry application before travel.
Entrants must take a COVID-19 test upon arrival if requested and undergo a seven-day self-quarantine period; nonresidents must arrange accommodations in advance. Most arrivals, excluding those 12 years old or under, must take another COVID-19 test before entering the community. Tests are available for free at pharmacies with a plane ticket. Anyone that tests positive for COVID-19 must self-quarantine an additional 10 days.
Advice
Follow all official instructions. Abide by national health and safety measures. Reconfirm all transport arrangements and required travel documents before traveling as a precaution. Consider delaying traveling if experiencing symptoms associated with COVID-19, as they may prompt increased scrutiny and delays. Avoid all demonstrations as a standard precaution.
