(Seychelles News Agency) – The public needs to be more responsible for their actions and respect the measures in place to stop the resurgence in COVID-19 cases observed in the past two weeks, said a top health official on Wednesday.

Public health authorities announced no new changes to the health measures in place in the island nation.

The Public Health Commissioner, Jude Gedeon, told a press conference that there has been an increase in the number of active COVID-19 cases over a period of two weeks from 152 to 352.

“That is an increase of about 200 cases in two weeks time and this is of concern to us. … The rolling day average was 15 early November now it is 36 and we don’t know what it will bring next,” said Gedeon.

Seychelles has recorded a total of 22,831 positive cases of COVID-19 and 122 COVID-related deaths.

The Public Health Commissioner said that “we have to keep our guard up especially now that there is a rise in the number of active cases. We have to act quickly, as the longer we wait, the harder it will be to deal with the situation. That is why the public needs to be more mindful of their actions and observe the public measures in place, to ensure that things do not escalate further.”

He attributed the rise in cases to people ignoring the health guidelines put in place and a number of public gatherings and parties took place at the start of the month.

With the December festive season coming up, it could prove to be a crucial time for Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean. The island nation registered its first community transmission during that same period last year.

After a surge during the months of May and June, the situation had stabilised but the sudden rise in cases is a cause for concern for the health authorities.

Gedeon encouraged people who have received two doses of a COVID vaccine to take a third dose of either the Sinopharm or Pfizer vaccine to further boost their immunity against the virus.

Currently, 78 percent of 99,202 inhabitants have been vaccinated with two doses while over 15,000 have already taken the third dose.

Meanwhile, the head of visible policing in the Seychelles Police Force, Superintendent Antoine Denousse, reiterated the need for the public to follow the health guidelines as the enforcement of regulations under the Public Health order will continue people seen not respecting them will be fined accordingly.

“We all want to enjoy our Christmas and New Year in December and to do that we need to work together to stop this rise in the COVID-19 numbers. The public therefore needs to act more responsibly or else more severe measures could be put in place,” added Desnousse.