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Tunisia: ‘Covid-19 situation is critical’

August 13, 2020 at 12:56 pm

People wearing masks line up in front of stores during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in Tunis, Tunisia on 11 May 2020 [Yassine Gaidi / Anadolu Agency]

The Director of Tunisia’s National Observatory for New and Emerging Diseases warned on Wednesday that the epidemiological situation in the country is “critical” after an increase in the number of Covid-19 infections.

Nissaf Ben Alia told journalists that increases have been recorded in the governorates of Kairouan (central), Sousse (east), Medenine (south east) and Gabes (south east). She said that active field investigations will be intensified until the infection is contained, stressing that the authorities’ goal is to maximise vigilance to detect all cases and eliminate infection.

“We need to intensify prevention measures, such as wearing masks and respecting social distancing, to prevent the spread of the virus,” explained Ben Alia.

When asked about travellers entering Tunisia from abroad, she pointed out that, “The ministry is aware of all cases and is taking care of them in compulsory or self-quarantine centres, according to the classification of the places they come from.”

On Tuesday, the Ministry of Health in Tunis announced that one death had been registered along with 21 new cases of infection, while seven patients recovered. The total number of infections thus increased to 1,738 with 52 deaths and 1,272 recoveries.

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