Wallis and Futuna

Too many staff have been affected by the resurgence of the pandemic which since June has caused almost 1800 infections.

The station will instead carry French news.

In Wallis, the outbreak peaked last week, and health authorities expect it to climax in Futuna at the end of the month.

Six people with covid-19 are in hospital.

Most people decided against getting vaccinated.

75 travellers arrived in Wallis after spending seven days in pre-departure quarantine in Noumea and returning negative tests.

After their arrival, they were in home isolation for three days after which a further test was carried out when a Futuna resident was found to have Covid-19.

The public broadcaster said the individual has been transferred to hospital.

The territory lost its only external airlink in September when New Caledonia went into lockdown over a fresh Covid-19 community outbreak.

In the past three weeks, 385 people tested positive for the virus and four of them died.

All but ten of the cases were registered on the island of Wallis where nine people are in hospital.

A total of seven patients have been flown to hospital in New Caledonia, including the very first Wallis resident to test positive for the virus.

The detection of Covid-19 in Wallis was followed by the first Covid-19 community cases in New Caledonia a day later, prompting the authorities in Noumea to order an immediate three-week lockdown, which has now been extended to Easter.

Earlier this month, she had been transferred from Futuna to the Wallis hospital for other ailments.

However, after her release from hospital, she tested positive for Covid-19 a week ago, was rehospitalised and died at the weekend.

Since the first Covid-19 case was found in the community two weeks ago, more than 300 people have tested positive for the virus.

17 Covid-19 patients are now in hospital, four of whom in intensive care.

The territory is under lockdown while vaccinations are being rolled out.

Six patients are in hospital, including one in intensive care.

The first person to test positive in the community was flown out for care in New Caledonia

Wallis and Futuna had been in a travel bubble with New Caledonia, which is also under a two-week lockdown as the virus has been found in 33 people.

Until 6 March, the two territories were the only French-administered areas without Covid-19 community transmission.

The first infection was reported on Saturday in a school principal who had left mandatory quarantine weeks ago after returning a negative test result.

His case appears to be linked to a simultaneous community outbreak in New Caledonia which went into a lockdown at midnight after recording its first nine community cases.

The authorities in Wallis now report 19 cases in total, including the first on the island of Futuna.

Passenger air traffic has been suspended.

The infected individual, who is asymptomatic, arrived in the territory from France on 16 November.

The person tested positive while in quarantine and has now been transferred to the hospital's isolation ward.

People arriving in Wallis and Futuna undergo two Covid-19 tests before leaving quarantine.

The first test is done seven days after they arrive and the second is done the day before they leave quarantine.

The latest case was diagnosed after the first such test.

The hospital in Kaleveleve reported 17 cases in the past two months, which stretches its capacity.

A doctor at the hospital told local television that efforts were being made to care for some of the patients at home, with medical staff making visits.

In the first months of the year, Wallis recorded dozens of dengue cases following last year's outbreak in New Caledonia where almost 400 people needed hospital care.

The public is again advised to try to eliminate breeding sites of mosquitos to stop the disease.

Under the label Brasserie de Wallis and Futuna the micro-brewery plans to produce 250,000 bottles a year, local television says.

The project was launched by New Caledonian businessman Pierrick Maury, who has already opened a brewery in New Caledonia.

Mr Maury said he was still seeking investors in order to have as broad an ownership as possible, selling minimum stakes of $US100.

Once operational, the plant is expected to have nine employees.

Annual beer consumption in the territory is more than one million bottles a year.

The territory's public broadcaster said about 300 pigs were prepared for the celebration in Vaisei on Futuna which marked the completion of the building the church.

However, there were too many pigs.

The Works Department was brought in for the clean-up, using a digger to dispose of about 100 of the pigs.

The broadcaster says some people considered this a waste while others found the pigs were a gift given out of joy.