France has postponed implementing a COVID-19 vaccination mandate for health workers in Martinique and Guadeloupe after the measure spurred widespread protests on the French territories in which police officers were injured and journalists attacked.
Compulsory vaccinations for health workers, a measure already introduced on the French mainland, had fuelled resentment among the islands' majority Black population.
The French health ministry said in a statement after a crisis government meeting on Friday that it had decided to postpone to Dec. 31 "finalising the implementation of the vaccine mandate" in Martinique and Guadeloupe.
It had put those who refused inoculation on unpaid leave but now says it will give those suspended more time for individual "dialogue" with their managers while still getting paid.
Some on the islands have called the mandate a throwback to France's slavery era, insisting that they should be allowed to make their own choices about health treatment.
Journalists attacked
The French government meeting came as the riots in Martinique were still ongoing, a source close to the French overseas minister said.
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