French Guiana (France)

French Guiana is an overseas department and region of France.

Governance and the Rule of Law

• Since the major spike of cases in September of 2021, cases of COVID-19 in French Guiana have declined. The territory is reporting around 39 new cases each day.
• Because of this decline in COVID-19 cases, the government of French Guiana lifted the curfew restrictions previously imposed in the territory in an interministerial crisis meeting.
• As of December 3, 2021, French Guiana has administered almost 172,000 COVID-19 vaccinations. The three vaccines that have been administered thus far are AstraZeneca, Pfizer, and Moderna.
• Nevertheless, there are many people in French Guiana reluctant to get vaccinated. As of September 28, only 33% of the population had been vaccinated, one of the lower numbers out of France’s territories.
• French Guiana currently remains at France’s strictest COVID-19 protocol of Level 4. Because of this, many primary and secondary schools, as well as universities have moved to a virtual format with the exception of in-person exams.
• Much like mainland France and other French territories, residents in Guadeloupe and Martinique are now required to present a health pass to access certain public areas. These are given to people one they receive both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, and for those over 65 a booster shot as well.
• Brazilians have been caught illegally crossing the Oiapoque River to get vaccinated against COVID-19 on French Guiana’s territory, where the countryside vaccination program is open to all adults.
• Guianan politicians and many citizens accuse France of neglecting its territory, which, after protests in 2017, was promised better healthcare facilities, including a hospital, 120 health professionals, and €40 million. France has still not built the hospital. 
• COVID-19 has highlighted many of the colonial disparities citizens of French Guiana face. For example, there has historically been limited medical care in the territory, with only 55 practitioners for every 100,000 people, about half the ratio as in France. 
• France and Suriname signed a joint declaration emphasizing the cooperation between Suriname and French Guiana to combat COVID-19 by protecting the border.

See Select Resources for Governance and the Rule of Law

---

Growth and Innovation

• At the beginning of the pandemic, because of the strict restrictions that French Guiana implemented, much of the economy halted. However, as restrictions have begun to ease, the territory is slowly starting to recover their previous financial losses.
• In an effort to help this process of economic revitalization, the company Bio Stratège Guyane is looking to develop biotechnology that will make biodiversity an important part of the territory’s economy through their innovative production.
• Unemployment levels in French Guiana have risen because of the pandemic. Many people who are reliant on the informal economy are now jobless and do not have access to unemployment benefits. 
• During 2020, tourism was down 70% and the sector suffered due to a lack of travel. Now, French Guiana is starting to open up to travel to residents in France and beyond. As of December, tourists must present a negative PCR test within 72 hours of arrival on the territory in order to enter.
• In collaboration with the Pan American Health Organization, scientists in French Guiana and all throughout Latin America have worked together to increase regional production of vaccines and mRNA vaccine technology.
• The French and Guianan governments have created apps that improve access to telemedicine during the pandemic and help users monitor for COVID-19 symptoms. 
• The French Guiana Regional Health Agency (ARS) have also extended its SMS option to text for help in situations of domestic violence, which had previously been intended only for the deaf and hard of hearing, to all people during the pandemic.
• The Minister of Overseas Territories and the Territorial Collectivity of Guyana implemented a 250 million euro stimulus agreement for the revival of French Guiana’s economy. 
• The Guiana Space Center, a European spaceport run by the National Centre for Space Studies (CNES) and a crucial contributor to Guianan gross domestic product (GDP), reopened to resume launches in late May following lockdown restrictions. 
• Moreover, in October of 2021, the James Webb Space Telescope arrived in Kourou, a scientific collaboration between NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). It is set to be the world’s largest space telescope. This is one of the CNES’ first major projects since the start of the pandemic.

See Select Resources for Growth and Innovation

---

Social and Cultural Inclusion

• COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted many of the racial and socioeconomic inequalities that have plagued the former French colony. For example, 60% of French Guianans live below the poverty level, and 10% of households do not have access to running water. 
• Initially starting in Guadeloupe and Martinique, the protests against France’s strict COVID-19 policies have spread to French Guiana. Many have taken to the streets to protest these restrictions.
• The Guiana Culture Folk Association, Wapa, are keeping their community engaged during COVID-19 with social network campaigns and Whatsapp Creole puzzles. As the territory begins to reopen, they are also looking to host the annual cultural festival in person.
• In rural areas without internet access or electricity, few had access to information about the virus. Healthcare workers have had to travel door-to-door to educate citizens, often with the help of translators and mediators. 
• Given the linguistic diversity in French Guiana, the program Gestes barrières aimed to translate COVID-19 informational posters into French, Creole, Chinese, Brazilian, Hmong, English, Arabic, Spanish, Haitian Creole, Sranantongo, Saamakatongo, Kali’na, Parikweneh, Teko, Wayana, Wayapi. Still, it took a month from the beginning of the pandemic to create such access. 
• The government has created COVID-19 resources that are “easy to read and understand (FALC)” to aid those who experience communication or comprehension challenges or do not understand French well. 
• The Ministry of Culture launched a project earlier in 2021 to promote disability in education and art. This has included highlighting stories of disabled people and how the pandemic has impacted their lives specifically.
• In August of 2021, many parents took to the streets of French Guiana to protest the closing of schools during the pandemic as students over the summer were not receiving academic assignments.
• Many residents of French Guiana have spoken out during the pandemic criticizing the lack of mental health resources.

See Select Resources for Social and Cultural Inclusion

---

Select resources for French Guiana:

Governance and the Rule of Law:

AFP. (2021, October 1). Covid-19. des collèges et lycées à Nouveau fermés en guyane. Ouest France. https://www.ouest-france.fr/region-guyane/covid-19-des-colleges-et-lycees-a-nouveau-fermes-en-guyane-42271e00-22bd-11ec-906c-ae562130e2fb. 

Bhatia, G., Dutta, P. K., & McClure, J. (2021, December 4). French Guiana: The latest coronavirus counts, charts and maps. Reuters. https://graphics.reuters.com/world-coronavirus-tracker-and-maps/countries-and-territories/french-guiana/. 

KSU. (2021, March 31). Vaccination against Covid-19 for young adults in French Guiana attracts Brazilians. https://ksusentinel.com/2021/03/31/vaccination-against-covid-19-for-young-adults-in-french-guiana-attracts-brazilians-03-31-2021-world/.

McNicoll, T. (2021, September 2). As a new school year begins in France, experts sound familiar alarm bells over covid-19 rules. France 24. https://www.france24.com/en/france/20210902-as-a-new-school-year-begins-in-france-experts-sound-familiar-alarm-bells-over-covid-19-rules. 

Menu, Q. (2021, October 28). Vaccination dans les outre-mer : Les Antilles et la guyane toujours en retard. Outre-mer la 1ère. https://la1ere.francetvinfo.fr/vaccination-dans-les-outre-mer-les-antilles-et-la-guyane-toujours-en-retard-1140709.html. 

Ministère de l’Intérieur. Déclaration commune France-Suriname dans la lutte contre la COVID-19. http://www.guyane.gouv.fr/Politiques-publiques/COVID-19/COVID-19-Informations/Declaration-commune-France-Suriname-dans-la-lutte-conte-la-COVID-19.

Pedram, A. (2020, July 19). In French Guiana, Virus Exposes Inequality, Colonial Legacy. Associated Press. https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2020-07-19/in-french-guiana-virus-exposes-inequality-colonial-legacy.

Thédia, M. (2021, November 25). Cellule de Crise Interministérielle : La guyane en vert, fin du couvre feu sur l’ensemble du territoire. Guyane la 1ère. https://la1ere.francetvinfo.fr/guyane/cellule-de-crise-interministerielle-la-guyane-en-vert-fin-du-couvre-feu-sur-l-ensemble-du-territoire-1164352.html. 

Thompson, R. (2020, July 23). Facing a surge in cases, French Guiana asks Paris ‘where’s your help?’. Euro News. https://www.euronews.com/2020/07/23/facing-a-surge-in-cases-french-guiana-asks-paris-where-s-your-help.

Trouver un lieu de vaccination covid-19 973-Guyane – Guyane. Santé.fr | Guyane: centres, établissements et pharmacies vaccinant contre la Covid-19. (n.d.). https://www.sante.fr/cf/centres-vaccination-covid/departement-973-guyane.html. 

World Health Organization. (n.d.). French Guiana: Who coronavirus disease (covid-19) dashboard with vaccination data. World Health Organization. https://covid19.who.int/region/amro/country/gf. 

York, J. (2021, August 27). Anti-vax views ‘will cause many deaths’ in French Overseas Territories. Connexcion Francais. https://www.connexionfrance.com/French-news/Anti-vax-views-will-cause-many-deaths-in-French-overseas-territories.

Growth and Innovation:

Agence Régionale de Santé Guyane. (2020, April 27). #COVID 19 Bien vivre le confinement. https://www.guyane.ars.sante.fr/covid-19-bien-vivre-le-confinement-0.

Boicoulin, M. (2021, April 17). Le tourisme en berne en Guyane, les opérateurs sont inquiets. Guyane La 1ère. https://la1ere.francetvinfo.fr/guyane/ouest-guyanais/guyane/le-tourisme-en-berne-en-guyane-les-operateurs-sont-inquiets-986494.html.

France-Guyane. (2021, March 15). 250 millions d’euros supplémentaires pour la relance de l’économie guyanaise. https://www.franceguyane.fr/actualite/economie-consommation/250-millions-d-euros-supplementaires-pour-la-relance-de-l-economie-guyanaise-480133.php.

Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques. (n.d.). Insee conjoncture guyane · Juillet 2021BILAN économique 2020 – Guyane. Bilan économique 2020 – Guyane – Insee Conjoncture Guyane – 14. https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/5017321. 

Lewis, L. (2021, November 5). Inauguration des Nouveaux Locaux de Bio stratège guyane: ;faire de Notre biodiversité UN Atout Majeur de Notre économie. Guyane la 1ère. https://la1ere.francetvinfo.fr/guyane/centre-littoral/matoury/inauguration-des-nouveaux-locaux-de-bio-stratege-guyane-faire-de-notre-biodiversite-un-atout-majeur-de-notre-economie-1147225.html. 

O’Neill, M. (2021, November 16). Reaching for the stars from Kourou – Europe’s spaceport in French Guiana. SciTechDaily. https://scitechdaily.com/reaching-for-the-stars-from-kourou-europes-spaceport-in-french-guiana/. 

PAHO will launch collaborative platform to boost regional production of COVID-19 Vaccines. PAHO/WHO | Pan American Health Organization. (2021, August 25). https://www.paho.org/en/news/25-8-2021-paho-will-launch-collaborative-platform-boost-regional-production-covid-19-vaccines. 

Quelles mesures sanitaires pour la guyane ? Site officiel du tourisme en Guyane. (2021, December 1). https://www.guyane-amazonie.fr/mesures-sanitaires-covid-guyane?v=actualites-ctg-pour-les-pros+%3F. 

Space News. (2020, April 29). Guiana Space Center launches to resume in June. https://spacenews.com/guiana-space-center-to-reopen-may-11/.

Social and Cultural Inclusion:

Agence Régionale de Santé Guyane. (2020, April 26). #COVID19. Des supports faciles à lire et à comprendre. https://www.guyane.ars.sante.fr/covid19-des-supports-faciles-lire-et-comprendre-0.

Agence Régionale de Santé Guyane. (2020, March 17). Prévention “Gestes barrières” dans les différentes langues de Guyane (affiches, vidéos, audios). https://www.guyane.ars.sante.fr/prevention-gestes-barrieres-dans-les-differentes-langues-de-guyane-affiches-videos-audios.

Coupau, L. (2021, November 22). Covid-19 : 5 questions sur la grève générale en Guadeloupe contre l’obligation vaccinale des soignants. LCI. https://www.lci.fr/societe/covid-19-5-questions-sur-la-greve-generale-en-guadeloupe-contre-l-obligation-vaccinale-des-soignants-et-le-pass-sanitaire-2202088.html. 

Culture et handicap : Des guides à l’avant-garde de l’inclusion. Ministère de la culture. (2021, January 14). https://www.culture.gouv.fr/Actualites/Culture-et-handicap-des-guides-a-l-avant-garde-de-l-inclusion. 

Franceinfo. (2021, November 17). Santé Mentale des enfants : “il y a urgence à agir”, selon la défenseure des droits. Franceinfo. https://www.francetvinfo.fr/societe/enfance-et-adolescence/sante-mentale-des-enfants-il-y-a-urgence-a-agir-selon-la-defenseure-des-droits_4847983.html. 

Guyana Folk Fest. guyfolkfest.org. (n.d.). https://guyfolkfest.org/. 

La Moitié de la Population Guyanaise Sous le Seuil de Pauvreté. IEDOM. (2020, July 27). https://www.iedom.fr/guyane/actualites/la-lettre-de-l-iedom/juillet-2020/actualites-economiques-locales/article/la-moitie-de-la-population-guyanaise-sous-le-seuil-de-pauvrete#:~:text=D’apr%C3%A8s%20l’Insee%2C,(inf%C3%A9rieur%20%C3%A0%20550%20%E2%82%AC). 

Les cultures locales plébiscitées dans les outre-mer. Ministère de la culture. (2021, November 15). https://www.culture.gouv.fr/Actualites/Les-cultures-locales-plebiscitees-dans-les-Outre-mer. 

Lucet, C. (2021, December 4). Des Antilles à nouméa, l’outre-Mer Français sur la braise. SudOuest.fr. https://www.sudouest.fr/france/des-antilles-a-noumea-l-outre-mer-francais-sur-la-braise-7217778.php. 

Séraphins, C. (2021, August 16). Education : Affectations scolaires en guyane, des parents plus mobilisés que jamais. Guyane la 1ère. https://la1ere.francetvinfo.fr/guyane/ouest-guyanais/guyane/education-affectations-scolaires-en-guyane-des-parents-plus-mobilises-que-jamais-1080805.html.