The government of Mauritius has imposed a total lockdown in the tourist hotspot to curb the spread of coronavirus.
The island nation, which has a population of 1.2m, has reported two deaths from Covid-19 and 28 positive cases.
People stocked up on food and other supplies ahead of Monday’s official start of the lockdown, from 20:00 local time (16:00 GMT).
Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth said on Sunday that the measures were necessary because the country was dealing with a “war situation”.
Mr Jugnauth said he was concerned that people were not observing strict crowd control measures introduced by the government to help curb the spread of the respiratory virus.
“The situation can get worse with some irresponsible persons [who did not respect the confinement] and endanger the lives of an entire population,” he said.
During the lockdown period, which will run until 2 April, people will not be allowed to leave their houses unless they have a permit from the police commissioner.
However, they will be allowed to go out to buy essential supplies from bakeries, supermarkets, and some shops which will be opened at specific times.
The new strict measures also give police powers of arrest without a warrant.
Source: BBC
